408 On the Poisonous Snakes of British Guiana. 



length of 6 feet. They are found along the waterside on the 

 great rivers and along the sheltered creeks, and are thus not 

 easily secured. 



The species will readily be recognized by its red colour 

 and by the black and yellow rings, the black being arranged 

 in threes, with the central one very broad in comparison with 

 the other two, each set of three separated from the others by 

 a broad band of red, and each one ring of the set from the 

 next by a band of yellow. The red scales of the head also 

 are black-edged and give a very peculiar appearance to the 

 species. 



Two other common species (Elaps corallinus and Elaps 

 lemniscatus) will readily be recognized by the arrangement of 

 the black and red bands. In the latter the black rings are in 

 sets of three separated from each other by narrow yellow or 

 whitish spaces, and each set of three from the next set by red 

 bands, which are usually wider than the others. 



In Elaps corallinus the black and red bands are more or 

 less regularly arranged, the black being edged with yellow, 

 and the red spotted with black. These species reach a length 

 of 3 to 4 feet, E. lemniscatus being at times longer and com- 

 paratively thick. 



They are both found in moist grassy places, more espe- 

 cially by the trenches and creeks and in swampy lands. 

 They pass usually under the common name of " coral "-snakes, 

 and are frequently confounded with red and black banded 

 harmless species, such, for instance, as Erythrolamprus 

 cesculapii. In all the venomous species the eyes are very 

 small and can hardly be distinguished, while in the others 

 they are large and prominent ; and this serves as a rough and 

 ready means for the identification of the two groups. 



Though capable of inflicting severe injury, if not death, on 

 man, no case has ever come under the writer's notice in which 

 such results have been experienced. Frequently these snakes 

 will be seen being carried about by children and others who 

 ha\e not the faintest suspicion of the risk they run ; and even 

 when irritated it is generally a difficult matter to get them to 

 open their mouths. 



A fourth and rare small species (Elaps psyches) will at 

 times be met with. It may well be called the pigmy coral- 

 snake, since it seems never to exceed a length of about 

 1^ teet. It will readily be recognized by the alternate black 

 and reddish-brown rings, whicli are separated by narrow 

 yellowish rings. The head, too, is black, and is marked on 

 each side by a small yellow spot. From the rareness of its 



