﻿306 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  194 
  3 
  

  

  of 
  a 
  tree, 
  a 
  crevice 
  among 
  boulders, 
  or 
  a 
  hole 
  in 
  a 
  bank, 
  and 
  often 
  

   sharing 
  their 
  retreat 
  with 
  a 
  black-necked 
  cobra. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  

   in 
  dense 
  vegetation, 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  snakes 
  take 
  to 
  the 
  trees 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  

   they 
  are 
  hatched. 
  

  

  The 
  Reab-fanged 
  Snakes 
  

   The 
  boomslang. 
  

  

  The 
  boomslang 
  (Dispholidus 
  typus) 
  belongs 
  to 
  the 
  rear-fanged 
  

   group 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  Colubridae 
  and 
  in 
  build 
  is 
  like 
  one 
  of 
  our 
  racers. 
  

   The 
  color 
  varies 
  greatly, 
  from 
  green 
  through 
  all 
  shades 
  of 
  brown 
  

   to 
  black, 
  the 
  scales 
  of 
  the 
  lighter-colored 
  individuals 
  often 
  being 
  edged 
  

   with 
  black. 
  An 
  adult 
  may 
  measure 
  over 
  6 
  feet 
  in 
  length. 
  Its 
  name 
  in 
  

   Dutch 
  means 
  "tree 
  snake," 
  and 
  the 
  trees 
  are 
  its 
  natural 
  environment. 
  

   In 
  sparsely 
  wooded 
  country 
  it 
  takes 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  to 
  hunt 
  frogs, 
  liz- 
  

   ards, 
  ground 
  birds, 
  caterpillars, 
  and 
  various 
  insect 
  larvae. 
  The 
  eggs 
  

   are 
  laid 
  in 
  decaying 
  vegetation 
  on 
  the 
  ground. 
  When 
  biting, 
  the 
  

   boomslang 
  does 
  not 
  readily 
  let 
  go 
  when 
  once 
  it 
  has 
  seized 
  its 
  prey. 
  

   Unless 
  its 
  grip 
  is 
  complete, 
  the 
  fangs 
  do 
  not 
  penetrate 
  the 
  flesh, 
  since 
  

   they 
  are 
  set 
  halfway 
  back 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  jaw 
  under 
  the 
  eyes. 
  Fortu- 
  

   nately 
  this 
  snake 
  is 
  very 
  timid 
  and 
  will 
  make 
  off 
  into 
  the 
  bushes 
  at 
  

   the 
  slightest 
  alarm. 
  When 
  it 
  bites, 
  however, 
  its 
  venom 
  is 
  very 
  active, 
  

   and 
  the 
  results 
  may 
  be 
  fatal 
  to 
  human 
  beings, 
  as 
  they 
  undoubtedly 
  

   have 
  been 
  fatal 
  to 
  dogs, 
  oxen, 
  and 
  other 
  farm 
  animals. 
  

  

  AUSTRALIA, 
  NEW 
  GUINEA, 
  AND 
  THE 
  SOUTH 
  PACIFIC 
  ISLANDS 
  

  

  Aside 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  snakes 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  Hydrophidae 
  which 
  live 
  in 
  

   the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  coasts, 
  Australia 
  has 
  but 
  one 
  family 
  of 
  pois- 
  

   onous 
  snakes, 
  the 
  Elapidae. 
  12 
  This 
  family 
  has 
  an 
  extremely 
  large 
  

   representation 
  there, 
  however, 
  as 
  14 
  genera 
  and 
  80 
  species 
  are 
  known. 
  

   While 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  not 
  considered 
  dangerous 
  to 
  man 
  owing 
  

   to 
  their 
  small 
  size, 
  short 
  fangs, 
  and 
  timid 
  dispositions, 
  the 
  larger 
  

   kinds 
  are 
  outstanding 
  for 
  their 
  abundance, 
  insolence, 
  and 
  high 
  toxi- 
  

   city. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  range 
  in 
  the 
  toxic 
  power 
  among 
  the 
  really 
  

   dangerous 
  species. 
  While 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  poison 
  is 
  more 
  largely 
  

   neurotoxic 
  — 
  as 
  in 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Elapidae 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   world 
  — 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  haemolytic 
  effects 
  as 
  well. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  cases 
  

   of 
  snake 
  bite 
  in 
  Australia 
  could 
  be 
  avoided 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  boots 
  and 
  

   leggings, 
  as 
  the 
  snakes 
  do 
  not 
  rear 
  very 
  far 
  from 
  the 
  ground 
  in 
  at- 
  

   tacking, 
  and 
  few 
  are 
  aboreal, 
  hence 
  the 
  feet 
  and 
  legs 
  of 
  a 
  pedestrian 
  

   are 
  in 
  most 
  danger 
  of 
  being 
  struck 
  by 
  the 
  fangs. 
  

  

  New 
  Guinea 
  has, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  a 
  liberal 
  population 
  of 
  sea 
  snakes, 
  

   several 
  representatives 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  deadly 
  kinds 
  found 
  in 
  

   Australia. 
  

  

  M 
  Australia 
  Is 
  the 
  only 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  where 
  a 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  snakes 
  are 
  venomous. 
  

  

  