OPHIDIA. 



OPHIDIA. 



100 



adeslituteof a urinary bladder, but they possess kidney 



Tsw shell of the eggw tSe oripaiwia aerpente, although cretaceous, 

 is soft, like the egg* of the common hen, when she has not enough 

 MOM natter in her aliment*, called soft eggs. They are often 

 than SO in number, and are connected by a sort of viscous 

 which cos, 



Ignlatos and joins them in a kind of chain, as is well 

 known to those who have found the eggs of our British common 

 saake in dunghills. Their colour is ordinarily yellowish or grayish- 

 white. The yoke or ritellus is absorbed by the embryo; and an 

 tM^;,..! cicatrice indicates the umbilicus in the young. 



Brain. Nervous System, and Senses. The cranium of the SerpenU 

 u mull in proportion to the other part*, elongated, and narrow ; the 

 internal cavity U amali The surface of the brain U nearly smooth, 

 and without sinuosities or circumvolutions. The lobe* are distinct, 

 and the whole mas* is elongated. The mass of the spinal marrow, 

 compared with the brain, is much more voluminous than the latter. 

 The anterior lobs* are rather slender, and the nerves destined for the 

 s<na* of smelling are elongated, and, as it weir, pediculated. 



Touch. This aeoae can hardly exist in a high state of development 

 ... th reptiles of this order ; though there is no doubt a sumcimt 

 degree of H to regulate the progression of the animal, and to indicate 

 to the constricting serpents and those which live in trees the nature 

 of the surface* with which their bodies are brought into contact 



Taste. The tongue in serpent* U nearly always cylindrical, deeply 

 bifid at Ha free extremity, and very narrow. It can be protruded 

 from the mouth, and rapidly vibrated in all directions, and is always 

 naest. The sheath into which it U received can be elongated or con- 

 tracted. A* an organ of taste it cannot be very susceptible. The 

 prey is swallowed entire, and under circumstances which give little or 

 no opportunity for the gustatory exercise of the tongue. 



Smell. The evidence derived from the structure of this organ, and 

 from their habits, does not justify the conclusion that the sense of 

 smelling is very acute in serpents. 



Hearing. In the serpents there is no external auditory meatus, nor 

 any appearance of a tympanum ; but there is a guttural canal which 

 ' la Rom the ' 



pharynx to the tympanic cavity, and there may be 

 observed a single osuculum auditus, which is elongated and widened 

 at its two ends. In other respects the internal ear U organised like 

 that of the Saurians. Such a structure does not indicate the enjoy- 

 ment of a very acute seme of hearing, and the ' deaf adder ' U 

 become almost proverbial; but that serpents have a perception of 

 sounds, sufficient at least to warn them of the approach of their 

 anemias or their prey, and something more, may be concluded from 

 the attention that many of them pay to musical sounds. [NAU.] 



Sight The eyes of the serpent are generally very small, and there 

 is a ittiriffcnMr peculiarity in the disposition of those organs, for the 

 traisspaitut cornea apparently forms part of the skin and epidermis 

 with which it is detached at each moult There is no appearance of 

 a tunica conjunctiva ; but on dissection it has been found behind the 

 (nnisa, and occupies the place of eyelids ; the sac which this mucous 

 msmbiaiis forms receives the tears, and conducts them into the 

 nostril*. There being no eyelid, the eye of the serpent always appears 

 to be fixed and on the watch. The sac above mentioned permits, the 

 globe of the eye however to be moved under the anterior part or 

 eytdetink cornea. Some serpent*, TrtgoxooepJuUi and t'rotaii for 

 button, have above the eye external cavities, which have been con 

 aidered aa lachrymatory sinuses, like those of the Ruminant* : their 

 only analogy however appears to be that of locality, for they receive 

 no teen, and their cavity is always dry. Vision, excepting for some 

 time previous to the change of skin or moult, when it is evidently less 

 perfect, scene to be sufficiently acute in this order. 



Serpent* can creep, glide, grasp, suspend themselves, erect them 

 eel vie, leap, dart, bound, swim, and dive. [LoooHoriox IN ANIMALS.] 



Cold latitude, do not agree with the Opltidia ; it U in warm climates 

 that their numbers, their venom, and their volume attain their 



The fallowing list of the distribution of the species of Opltidia is 

 givn by Dr. J. B. Gray in his 'Catalogue of Snakes' in the British 

 Museum. In this list the (Mmbridte are not included : 



Koaorr. 



i 



Jrpr/mls* 



Aau AID m ULAKM. 



T. CVjrbmawu. Ceylon, 

 /"oria* /onmocWo/K*. Philip- 



F. omofM. Philippine*. 

 P. orwyota*. Philippine*. 



" :. 



T. MtMrit. China. 



T. 



Alnpoi aeontia. Java. 

 TnpmoctjAaliu Jfalft. Tartary. 

 Jap.! 



Java. 



T. 



T. Urifatut. 

 T. 



fiM. Borneo. 



PliillppUea. 



Ceylon. 

 Sumatra. 



Mrf.*tMM 



/ / 



/> Xantkutu. Xauthua, 



P.eVMtm 

 Lapemit trur/iu. 



I, Hi in/if id li. 

 Aturia omala. 

 A. lldchcri. 



A. Laptmoultt. 

 Ifitrocrphalopku gracllit. 

 SnMydrina OrngaUfiit. 

 K. Valatadye*. 

 Jlydropkit o&scuro. 

 //. Lindtayii. 

 Jf. foKiata. 

 U. niffrocincta. 

 Jf. tulicincta. 

 U. nMam*. 

 U, mmtali*. 

 If. tpiratit. 

 Jf. tubannulata. 

 Jf. atpera. 

 Jf. cienJaeetu. 

 C/iitulia inornata. 

 C. faiciata. 

 C. tchittota. 

 Xerilia JtrJonii. 

 Jfydriu annulaiu*. 

 ToMogatttr Eydoivcii. 

 Cheriydnu yranulattts. 

 C. annulattu. 



A crochordul Jaranicus. Javn. 

 Cerbtriu cinerau. 

 C. acutut. Borneo. 

 C. unicotor. Philippines. 

 Ferania Sieboldii. 

 llomuloptit buceata. 

 Jf. Jfardwickii. 

 1'liytoloptit punctala. 

 Tropidophit ichittonu. 

 Myron tririllalta (T). 

 i-ltina plumbta. 



II. flanlwickii. 

 Jf. Acr. 



Jf. bilincata. 



Jf. Chinauit. 



Jt. Jiatnettii. 



fordonia leucolialia. 



P. unicolor. 



Raclitia Indica. 



Miralia alternant. 



Xaiodcrmiu Jaranicm. Java. 



Pytkm reticulate. 



P. moluru. 



Liaiitamrthyttina. New Ireland. 



L. MacMvtii. 



Kardoa ScUtgdii. 



Ctiftia /meo. 



Enygrut carinaiia. 



Ciuoria dr gain. 



Oongylophil conica. 



Clothonia Johnii. 



C'yiindrophit melanota. 



C. rufa. 



C. maculata. 



AUSTRALIA. 



Ac/intlioiiliit antarctica. 

 J/ydroi>ha doliata. 

 Jf. octllala. 

 Il;iilr<u major. 

 Stephanohydra futca. 

 Ctrberta amtralii. 

 Myron Jiichai-dionii. 

 Mortiia tpUottt. 

 M. rariryata. 

 LM,U CktlJrenii. 

 L. otiracea. 



Nardoa Gilbtrtii. 



Enyyriu Btbroni. Isle of Viti. 



Bolt/trio, multicarinata. 



AFRICA. 



Megara trigonocti>hoJ<t (T). 



Clot ho nanconit. 



C. arielaiu. 



C. laterulriga, 



C. Alropot. 



C. inornata. 



C. ilauritanita. 



C. cornuta. 



Ctnultt JJattelquUtii. 



\-hii. 



chit artnitola. 

 Sepedon HaauujuUei. 

 Catma rhombtntia. 

 Protyama mtleagrit. 

 /lortulia Xatalciuit. 

 II. " c ba. 

 Jf. regia. 



fianzinia Madaqatcaruiuit. 

 Ptlopkilut Madagcucariciuir. 

 Caiarea Dauumieri. 

 Eryx Jaculiu. 

 . Thebatctu. 



AMERICA. 



North America. 

 Craipcdoccphalut atror. 

 Laclittit mutui. 

 Cenchrii contorlrir. 

 C. atrofiacta. 

 C. pitcivonu. 

 CrotaUtphorut miliariut. 

 C. tergeminut. 

 6'. A'irtlandi. 

 UropwijJtiu durltttu. 

 Crota/Hi horridus. 

 Jldicopt carinacaudia. 

 Farancia faiciata. 

 Dimada plicatilii. 

 Abattor crythrogrammui. 

 Ficimia olivaeea. 

 Charina Botta. 



Tropical America. 

 Craipedoctphalui JJrasilicnsU. 

 C. lanceolatiu. 

 C. atrox. 

 V. elegant (i). 

 C. bUinealtu. 

 Iiochtrit mutut. 

 L. picttu. Pi'i-ii. 

 Crotalus horridiu. 

 Uraitopi angulatui. 

 Jfyilrnjii M 



"i faiciata, 

 Gcrarda bicolor. 

 Jfiputei fatciattui. 



/rtffj angulifrr. 

 . Cenchria. 

 K. niaunu. 



Cwallui hortulanut. 

 Boa conttrictor. 



B. impcrator. 

 |W 



itetu murintu. 



C'hilabothrut inoruutiu. 

 , ilia mrlanura. 



I', macalata. 



Tortrix Scytak. 



The following is Dr. J. E. Gray's arrangement of the Snakes 

 (Ophidia) .Mouth dilatable, all the facial bones movcable. Jaws 

 toothed : lower jaw-bones only united by ligaments iu front ICj-.-n 

 without eyelids. External ears none. Tongue very long, retractile 

 into a sheath at its base ; the apex forked, very long, Blender, tapering. 

 Limbs none or only rudimentary, in the form of spurn on the side of 

 the vent (Meyer, 'Acta Acad. Nat Cur.,' xii.) Tho body of each 

 vertebra articulated by a convex facet, fitting into a concavity in tho 

 front of the following one. The palatine arches mobile, au.l MI-MI .1 

 with acute recurved teeth. The windpipe U very long. One of tho 

 lungs very large; the other very small or rudimentary. Tho heart in 

 the hinder part of the body. The maatoid bone, is detached iu all 

 except the geuus TvrlrU of Oppcll. 



