SNAltES. 163 



irt south west India. This aggressive little snake is com- 

 mon in the Punjab, Sind, Cutch, Rajputana, the North 

 West, the Central Provinces, and Bambay, but un- 

 known in Lower Bengal. By rubbing the fold of the sides 

 of its body, it makes a curious prolonged hissing sound., 

 There are several other species of venomous snakes 

 in India which belong to the same family as the rattle 

 Snake of America. The bite of some of them is said 

 to be exceptionally fatal to man, but this requires con- 

 firmation. As most of these snakes inhabit hills and 

 forests, and seldom appear neat human habitation, their 

 power of doing mischief is very limited. They are so 

 unfamiliar that except one or two species, especially the 

 "karawala" found in Ceylon and in the Western Ghats, 

 their identity is unknown to most of the Indians. 



SEA SNAKE. 



Various kinds of sea snakes infest the coasts of India 

 and its dependencies. They are all venomous and are 

 easily recognised by the peculiarity of their tail 

 which is flattened vertically. Their poison apparatus 

 resemble that of the cobra, but poison fangs are smaller, 

 With the exception of one or two, none of them ever 

 leave the water. On rare occasions they come up the 

 river Hooghly as far as Calcutta. 



GENERAL &1MAKS. 



Unless compelled by circumstances, a snake, as a rule, 

 seldom comes out during the day, but remains in a state 



