COLUBBID.E. 



277 



Family VII. COLUBRID^E. 



Facial bones movable; transpalatine present ; pterygoid extending 

 to mandible or quadrate ; suprateinporal present, attached scale-like 

 to the skull and suspending quadrate ; maxillary horizontal, not 

 movable perpendicularly to the transpalatine. Mandible without 

 coronoid bone. Both jaws toothed. 



This large family, containing the bulk of the Ophidia, may be 

 divided into three parallel series : 



A. AGLYPHA. All the teeth solid, not grooved. Harmless. 



B. OPISTHOGKLYPHA. One or more of the posterior maxillary 



teeth grooved. Suspected, or poisonous to a slight degree. 



C. PEOTEEOGLYPHA. Anterior maxillary teeth grooved or 



perforated. Poisonous. 



In each of these series we have a more or less perfect repetition 

 of forms, due to adaptation to the various modes of life. 



j>rrv 



Fig. 86. Skull of Tropidonotus piscator. 

 A. Upper view. B. Side view. 



