1 62 HOURS WITH NATURE. 



towns. In spite of its strength and aggressiveness, it 

 very soon gets used to captivity, and its captor comes 

 to exercise wonderful control over its movements, 

 having of course, previously taken the precaution of 

 breaking its' poison fangs. Instances are known of full- 

 fanged Sankhachurs performing movements at the com- 

 mand of their keepers. 



The kareta (krait), the Rajsap (Banded krait), the 

 Chandrabora or Bejagur (Daboia or Russell's viper) 

 are other common venomous snakes of India. Of 

 these, the krait is rare in Lower Bengal. It is com- 

 mon in the Santhal Pergunnahs, Behar, and the North^ 

 West Provinces, and, more or less, in other parts of India, 

 A large percentage of deaths from snake-bite in Behar and 

 the N. W. P. are attributed to this snake. Those gener- 

 ally seen are from three to four feet in length, although 

 specimens obtained from west MidnapOre have been 

 found to attain a length varying from five feet to five feet 

 six inches. In its habits, the krait resembles the cobra- 

 Russell's viper is a most repulsive-looking snake. Its 

 fangs are much larger than those of any other vena- 

 mous snakes of India. It is very sluggish, and seldom 

 moves away at the approach of man or beast. Snake- 

 men never keep Russell's viper for exhibition, as its 

 movements being uncertain, no control can be exercised 

 over them. 



Closely allied to the chandrabora, but smaller in size 

 and less deadly in nature, is the carpet viper (Echis can* 

 nata\ called kuppur or hafai in the Punjab, and Phoona 



