SNAKES 333 



the two commonest snakes in the town of Calcutta, 

 and are to be met with wherever there is a little 

 open space among houses, but Zamenis mucosus 

 occurs in almost every garden, and Tropidonotus 

 piscator in most enclosures containing or abutting 

 upon a pond. In the suburbs all these species 

 occur in greater numbers and are accompanied by 

 other harmless snakes and by varying numbers 

 of venomous ones. Specimens of blind-snakes, 

 Typhlops, really abound everywhere, but attract 

 but little notice owing to their small size, worm- 

 like look, and subterranean habits. Great con- 

 sternation was once, however, occasioned in Calcutta 

 by their appearance in large numbers in the water 

 supply of the town. For some weeks it was quite 

 a common experience to draw a specimen off in 

 the drinking - water supplied by the street- and 

 house - taps. This took place during a period of 

 unusually prolonged dry weather, and could be 

 readily explained. The unwonted dryness of the 

 soil had led the snakes to congregate in any moist 

 areas such as those surrounding points of leakage 

 from the mains, and, as the water-supply is an 

 intermittent one, these must almost inevitably have 

 sometimes been sites of indraught favouring the 

 entrance of the reptiles to the interior of the 

 pipes. 



Lycodon aulicus is nearly certain to be one 

 of the first snakes whose acquaintance is made 



