354 COMMON REPTILES OF AN INDIAN GARDEN 



the intoxication following their bites is essentially 

 of the same nature as that induced by cobra- venom. 

 What serves to render them especially formidable 

 in regions in which they abound is the fact that 

 they are so ready to enter houses and lie about on 

 pieces of furniture in a way that greatly increases 

 the chance of their coming into immediate contact 

 with human beings. 



The banded krait, Bungarus fasciatus, is common 

 enough anywhere in the lower Gangetic delta, and 

 is often to be met with in gardens containing ponds, 

 It is a very striking snake, owing to the brilliancy 

 of its bold black and yellow colouring, and also to 

 the extremely acute angle in which the sides of 

 the body meet over the dorsal surface. Specimens 

 of it were always easily procured for exhibition in 

 the Zoological Garden, but it was only after it had 

 been discovered that they are as essentially ophio- 

 phagous as hamadryads, that it was possible to 

 keep them permanently in good condition. They 

 are very sluggish creatures when in captivity, and 

 spend much of their time in water. In spite of the 

 dread with which they are ordinarily regarded by 

 the native population, they are really among the 

 least formidable of Indian venomous snakes, as 

 their venom is secreted in small quantity, and is 

 of very inferior quality, and because it is injected 

 by means of poorly-developed jaws and fangs. 



The snakes that are most worthy of dread as 



