I5<> HOURS WITH NATURE. 



point of view, we should advise those who are interest- 

 ed in the study of snakes to supplement their knowledge 

 of books with that derived from a practical acquaintance 

 with the structure and habits of these interesting 

 reptiles. Unless this is done, one's ideas about them 

 will always remain hazy and imperfect. There are 

 several ways in which this can be accomplished. It 

 may be mentioned in passing that there are European 

 youths in India, who, in the midst of their engrossing 

 business avocation, have by dint of perseverance and 

 industry, succeeded in making interesting collections 

 of natural history objects, and acquired a fair knowledge 

 of the zoology of our country. 



Snakes considered in relation to other animals. The 

 animal kingdom is divided into two main sub-divisions, or 

 sub-kingdoms as they are called in zoological language, 

 Vertebrata y or animals with a skeleton, and Inverfabrahi^ 

 or animals without a skeleton. This, it must be under- 

 stood, is, a popular classification. The sub-kingdom, 

 Vertebrata is, again sub-divided into Mammalia, or 

 sucking animate; Aves or birds ; Reptilia, or reptiles ; 

 Ratrachians, or frogs, toads, and ttewft ; and Pisces 

 or fishes, The class Reptilia is further sub-divided into 

 Crocodiles \ Tortoises^ Lizards, and Snakes. It will appear 

 from the above scheme of classification that however 

 repugnant the idea may be to us, there is n,o help but 

 to accept the fact that we are remotely related to one 

 another in that both man and snake belong to the same 

 ,sub -kingdom, Vertebrata^ with innumerable i 



