﻿DANGEROUS 
  REPTILES 
  — 
  COCHRAN 
  307 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  no 
  snakes 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand, 
  poisonous 
  or 
  nonpoisonous. 
  

   The 
  Hawaiian 
  Islands 
  are 
  likewise 
  devoid 
  of 
  them, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  most 
  

   of 
  the 
  scattered 
  islands 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Pacific. 
  One 
  genus 
  of 
  the 
  fam- 
  

   ily 
  Elapidae, 
  Ogmodon, 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Fiji 
  Islands. 
  Several 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  family 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  Solomon 
  Islands, 
  while 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  

   snakes 
  live 
  in 
  the 
  surrounding 
  waters. 
  

  

  The 
  black 
  snake. 
  

  

  This 
  snake 
  (Pseudechis 
  porphyriacus, 
  pi. 
  15, 
  fig. 
  2), 
  most 
  abundant 
  

   of 
  the 
  larger 
  poisonous 
  kinds 
  of 
  Australia, 
  grows 
  to 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  6 
  to 
  7 
  

   feet. 
  The 
  smooth 
  scales 
  are 
  satiny 
  blue 
  black 
  above, 
  while 
  below 
  they 
  

   are 
  brilliant 
  scarlet 
  edged 
  with 
  black. 
  The 
  neck 
  is 
  slightly 
  extensible 
  

   so 
  that 
  a 
  "hood" 
  about 
  half 
  as 
  broad 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  cobra 
  can 
  be 
  formed. 
  

   When 
  about 
  to 
  attack, 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  rear 
  like 
  the 
  cobra, 
  but 
  instead 
  raises 
  

   the 
  head 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  from 
  the 
  ground. 
  It 
  will 
  not 
  attack 
  man 
  

   unless 
  trodden 
  upon 
  or 
  cut 
  off 
  from 
  means 
  of 
  escape. 
  It 
  prefers 
  

   marshy 
  places 
  or 
  streams 
  and 
  dives 
  and 
  swims 
  well. 
  It 
  can 
  stay 
  under 
  

   water 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time, 
  and 
  from 
  its 
  habit 
  of 
  lying 
  still 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  

   of 
  lakes 
  and 
  streams 
  it 
  is 
  dangerous 
  to 
  bathers. 
  Its 
  food 
  consists 
  of 
  

   frogs, 
  lizards, 
  and 
  small 
  mammals 
  and 
  birds. 
  The 
  young 
  are 
  born 
  

   alive 
  in 
  March, 
  up 
  to 
  two 
  dozen 
  to 
  a 
  litter. 
  During 
  the 
  winter 
  the 
  

   black 
  snake 
  hibernates 
  in 
  holes 
  in 
  the 
  ground. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  through- 
  

   out 
  Australia, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  north, 
  but 
  does 
  not 
  occur 
  in 
  Tasmania. 
  

   Its 
  bite 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  less 
  dangerous 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  large 
  Aus- 
  

   tralian 
  snakes, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  toxicity 
  of 
  its 
  venom. 
  

  

  Several 
  other 
  snakes 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Pseudechis 
  live 
  in 
  Australia. 
  One 
  

   of 
  these, 
  inhabiting 
  central 
  Queensland, 
  grows 
  to 
  be 
  9 
  feet 
  long, 
  with 
  

   proportionately 
  large 
  fangs 
  and 
  poison 
  glands. 
  

  

  A 
  still 
  larger 
  snake, 
  the 
  giant 
  brown 
  snake 
  {Oayurarws 
  scutellatus) 
  , 
  

   belongs 
  to 
  a 
  closely 
  related 
  genus. 
  It 
  is 
  restricted 
  to 
  Cape 
  York 
  Pen- 
  

   insula. 
  It 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  reach 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  over 
  9 
  feet. 
  

  

  The 
  copperhead 
  snake. 
  

  

  While 
  a 
  reddish-brown 
  or 
  dark-brown 
  color 
  usually 
  characterizes 
  

   this 
  snake 
  (D'enisonia 
  superba, 
  pi. 
  16, 
  fig. 
  1), 
  occasionally 
  a 
  bright 
  red 
  

   or 
  black 
  individual 
  is 
  found. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  usually 
  of 
  a 
  coppery 
  tone, 
  

   especially 
  so 
  in 
  the 
  young 
  ones. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  stouter-bodied 
  creature 
  than 
  

   the 
  black 
  snake 
  and 
  does 
  not 
  grow 
  quite 
  so 
  large, 
  as 
  6-foot 
  specimens 
  

   are 
  considered 
  uncommonly 
  large. 
  When 
  angry, 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  rear 
  a 
  

   few 
  inches 
  from 
  the 
  ground, 
  with 
  the 
  neck 
  slightly 
  curved, 
  as 
  the 
  cobra 
  

   does. 
  Like 
  the 
  black 
  snake, 
  it 
  frequents 
  swamps 
  and 
  feeds 
  on 
  lizards 
  

   and 
  frogs. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  southeastern 
  Australia 
  and 
  in 
  Tasmania. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  about 
  two 
  dozen 
  other 
  closely 
  related 
  species 
  belonging 
  to 
  

   this 
  genus 
  in 
  Australia, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  no 
  more 
  than 
  15 
  inches 
  

   long 
  and 
  with 
  relatively 
  weak 
  venom. 
  

  

  