INDIAN SNAKES. 155 



or two rudimentary teeth behind the fangs. These serve 

 as a sort of reserve, so that if, by accident, or from any 

 other cause the fang in use is broken, the small rudi- 

 mentary one moves forward and takes its place and serves 

 its purpose. 



A great many other venomous snakes inhabiting 

 India and its dependencies possess the same kind of 

 poison apparatus as the Cobra. The Sankhachur, (King 

 cobra, or the Hamadryad of Europeans in India); the 

 Kareta (Krait); the Raj sap^ (Banded krait) ; and the sea 

 snakes belong to this group. 



But it is in the Viper kind that the poison apparatus 

 has attained its perfect development. The Chandrabora^ 

 (Russell's viper) is the most typical representative of 

 this group in India, Its fangs are very long, and 

 lie prostrate along the jaw, but are capable of full 

 erection. To raise these long fangs, the bones of the 

 aw are so modified as to act like hammer-heads 

 with claws representing fangs downwards. Normally the 

 fangs are covered with a thin sheath of membrane. 



VIRY SMALL SNAKES. 



The Typhlops, called sapala in Hindustani, and 

 puyasap in Bengali, are the smallest of all the known 

 species of Indian snakes. The smallest of the group 

 (Typhlops beddomii) inhabiting mostly the plains 

 and hills of southern India scarcely exceed five inches in 

 length. All of them prefer moist shady spots, and are 

 in decayed woqd, anc} timibled-dowq buildings, 



