44. TRIMORPHODON 



than those existing between themselves. Palatine teeth six, 

 the anterior three the longest, all longer than the pterygoids. 

 The three anterior mandibular teeth longer and more widely 

 spaced than the posterior. 



Habits. — Nothing is known of the habits of this snake. 

 A specimen which I kept alive for a time was very pugna- 

 cious and would strike wildly when anyone approached its 

 cage. A large female secured at San Jose del Cabo, March 

 16, 1892, contained eggs which measured 9x21 mm. One 

 of these snakes was found in the thatched roof of a house, 

 at San Jose del Cabo, late in the afternoon as it crawled 

 over the rafters. 



Family 14. ELAPID^ 



The snakes of this family are similar in appearance to 

 those of the Colubrid^e, from which, however, they diflFer 

 by their possession of a well developed poison apparatus. 

 The poison fangs are situated, on the maxillary bone, near 

 the front of the mouth, and are so folded as to form a tube 

 for the conduction of the venom into the wound. This 

 apparatus they have in common with the closely related sea- 

 snakes of the family Hydridce. With the latter highly 

 specialized family they form the group Proteroglypha. 



The Ela-pidce occur in Africa, Asia, Australia, and both 

 Americas. The family includes the most deadly of all 

 serpents, such as the cobra and its relatives. Many species 

 are said to be viviparous. Only one genus occurs in America. 



