﻿308 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  194 
  3 
  

  

  The 
  brown 
  snake. 
  

  

  The 
  larger 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Demansia 
  are 
  considered 
  highly 
  

   dangerous, 
  especially 
  the 
  brown 
  snake 
  (D. 
  textilis, 
  pi. 
  16, 
  fig. 
  2), 
  which 
  

   is 
  usually 
  5 
  to 
  6 
  feet 
  long, 
  and 
  widely 
  distributed 
  all 
  over 
  Australia. 
  

   It 
  is 
  light 
  yellow 
  to 
  brown 
  or 
  gray 
  above 
  and 
  white 
  below. 
  The 
  young, 
  

   hatched 
  from 
  eggs, 
  are 
  ringed 
  during 
  the 
  first 
  year. 
  This 
  snake 
  has 
  

   a 
  small 
  head, 
  but 
  its 
  bite 
  is 
  extremely 
  serious, 
  owing 
  to 
  its 
  highly 
  toxic 
  

   venom. 
  The 
  snake 
  is 
  all 
  the 
  more 
  dangerous 
  as 
  there 
  is 
  nothing 
  in 
  its 
  

   appearance 
  or 
  behavior 
  to 
  excite 
  fear, 
  since 
  it 
  resembles 
  one 
  of! 
  our 
  

   whipsnakes. 
  There 
  are 
  about 
  a 
  dozen 
  species 
  of 
  this 
  genus, 
  and 
  several 
  

   of 
  them 
  are 
  called 
  whipsnakes, 
  owing 
  to 
  their 
  slender 
  build. 
  

  

  Related 
  forms 
  of 
  this 
  dangerous 
  snake 
  occur 
  in 
  New 
  Guinea 
  as 
  well. 
  

  

  The 
  tiger 
  snake. 
  

  

  The 
  dark 
  bands 
  on 
  a 
  tawny 
  ground 
  suggest 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  this, 
  the 
  

   most 
  savage 
  and 
  dangerous 
  of 
  Australian 
  reptiles 
  (pi. 
  17, 
  fig. 
  1). 
  

   Sometimes 
  the 
  ground 
  color 
  is 
  so 
  dark 
  that 
  the 
  bands 
  are 
  indistinct. 
  

   The 
  venom 
  is 
  of 
  such 
  extremely 
  high 
  toxicity 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  equaled 
  by 
  

   that 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  known 
  snake. 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  cause 
  more 
  fatalities 
  in 
  

   Australia 
  than 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  poisonous 
  snakes 
  of 
  that 
  country 
  put 
  to- 
  

   gether. 
  The 
  tiger 
  snake 
  (Notechix 
  scutatus), 
  when 
  disturbed, 
  becomes 
  

   furious, 
  spreads 
  out 
  the 
  neck 
  to 
  twice 
  its 
  usual 
  width, 
  and 
  rushes 
  

   toward 
  its 
  enemy. 
  It 
  resents 
  being 
  interfered 
  with 
  by 
  other 
  snakes 
  

   and 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  match 
  for 
  the 
  black 
  snake. 
  A 
  man 
  bitten 
  

   by 
  this 
  snake 
  may 
  die 
  within 
  an 
  hour 
  if 
  no 
  treatment 
  is 
  given, 
  and 
  a 
  

   dog 
  in 
  less 
  than 
  20 
  minutes. 
  The 
  tiger 
  snake 
  is 
  between 
  5 
  and 
  6 
  feet 
  

   in 
  length 
  when 
  full-grown, 
  and 
  its 
  body 
  is 
  rather 
  stout. 
  It 
  is 
  extremely 
  

   prolific, 
  producing 
  50 
  or 
  more 
  young 
  in 
  a 
  litter. 
  Its 
  food 
  consists 
  

   mainly 
  of 
  lizards. 
  It 
  likes 
  dry 
  country, 
  hence 
  its 
  range 
  is 
  extensive 
  

   both 
  in 
  Australia 
  and 
  Tasmania. 
  

  

  The 
  death 
  adder. 
  

  

  A 
  short, 
  thick, 
  clumsy 
  body 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  3 
  feet 
  long, 
  and 
  resembling 
  

   that 
  of 
  a 
  viperine 
  snake 
  far 
  more 
  than 
  its 
  own 
  relatives 
  just 
  enu- 
  

   merated, 
  characterizes 
  the 
  death 
  adder 
  (Acanthophis 
  antarcticus, 
  pi. 
  

   17, 
  fig. 
  2). 
  In 
  color 
  it 
  resembles 
  the 
  ground 
  it 
  lies 
  on, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  

   gray, 
  brown, 
  pink, 
  or 
  brick 
  red, 
  depending 
  on 
  the 
  sandstone 
  of 
  the 
  

   region 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  particular 
  individual 
  may 
  live. 
  In 
  younger 
  speci- 
  

   mens, 
  bands 
  of 
  darker 
  shade 
  cross 
  the 
  body 
  ; 
  these 
  may 
  disappear 
  with 
  

   age. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  sandy 
  localities 
  over 
  most 
  of 
  Australia 
  except 
  in 
  

   southern 
  Victoria, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  New 
  Guinea 
  and 
  the 
  Moluccas, 
  thus 
  

   having 
  the 
  widest 
  range 
  of 
  any 
  Australian 
  poisonous 
  snake. 
  The 
  

   young 
  are 
  born 
  alive, 
  about 
  a 
  dozen 
  at 
  a 
  time. 
  It 
  has 
  very 
  rough 
  

   scales, 
  even 
  on 
  the 
  head, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  spine 
  on 
  the 
  tail. 
  Its 
  large 
  

   head 
  bears 
  fangs 
  that 
  are 
  no 
  longer 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  tiger 
  snake, 
  and 
  

  

  