162 THE REPTILES OF NORTH CHINA, &c. 



Of these, seven are snakes, three are lizards and the remaining 

 two are turtles. 



There is no questioning the fact that snakes are more instinctively 

 dreaded and detested by human beings than any other class of ani- 

 mals. One's fear of them is inherent, being one of the few original 

 instincts which civilization and progress have failed to suppress. It 

 is also remarkable, how strongly this instinct is developed in other 

 orders of the mammalian kingdom. I once placed the dead body of 

 a snake before a bear-cub, which I have in my possession. Being 

 short sighted, the little fellow came up to smell the thing. At the 

 first sniff he shot upwards and backwards as though on springs, snort- 

 ing with fear. He could have had little, or no experience with 

 snakes, being very young, and only just taken from his mother; yet 

 there was planted in his breast a perfect horror of these reptiles, 

 coupled with the instinctive knowledge of just how to avoid that dead- 

 ly, blow, which should, in the ordinary course of events, have fol- 

 lowed his blunder in smelling so dangerous a creature. 



So with man; his first instinct on seeing a snake is either to 

 kill it or run. Even when one is thoroughly used to handling snakes, 

 land has lost all fear of them, they still may cause a sudden panic 

 when encountered unexpectedly, and one gives the same quick back- 

 ward jump, as did the little bear. The reason for this, of course, is 

 the death dealing nature of the serpent's bite, it's deadly accuracy of 

 aim, and it's marvellous rapidity, all coupled with a treacherous lurk- 

 ing nature, so difficult for animals and the bare-legged savage to guard 

 against. 



Fortunately North China is almost free from poisonous snakes. 

 Of the seven species, one only is venomous, and that one is extremely 

 rare. This species is the Halys viper (Ancistrodon inter me dias), which 

 may easily be recognised by the thickness of its body and its wicked 

 looking short head and upturned nose. The genus is represented by 

 a species in Siberia, another in the Himalayas, a third in Ceylon, and 

 one in Manchuria. It is also represented by, several species in North 

 America ; the well-known and deadly copperhead belonging to this 

 genus. By holding a viper by the neck, so that it cannot turn and 

 bite, and prising open the jaws, two enormous fangs are displayed, 

 growing downward and backward from the upper jaw. These are the 

 deadly weapons which cause it's kind to be so cordially hated by all 

 living creatures. The Chinese viper is of a dull uniform grey, some- 

 times with, and sometimes without any markings. A second species 

 (A. blomhoffi) is found in Manchuria. It is of a pretty chestnut fawn, 

 marked with buff and blue-grey lines and dots. Some are almost 



