A GREEN SNAKE 



bags attached, is not enough to ensure success in life 

 for any of the punier snakes of to-day. We find 

 therefore, a variety of ways in which these creatures 

 confront their foes in the struggle for existence. The 

 viper in question, Lachesis gramineus, is certainly one 

 of, if not the most beautiful serpent in existence. Its 



GREKN TREE VIPER. 



whole body is of an exquisite grassy green ; its pro- 

 portions are elegant, and the diamond-shaped head, 

 so characteristic of vipers, only adds to the graceful- 

 ness of its outline. It has avoided the coarse puffiness 

 of the rattlesnake and the somewhat scraggy pro- 

 portions of the British viper. Like all vipers, it is 

 provided with one or two fangs on each side of the 

 upper jaw, which are replaced by others when they 

 are worn out or dropped ; and, as in other vipers, these 

 teeth are tubes leading from the duct of the poison 



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