REPTILES. 383 



The cobra is not the most venomous of serpents. This distinct ion is 

 enjoyed by another snake from the same regions, which attains a much 

 larger size. Specimens are recorded of twelve and even fourteen feel in 

 length. This species is rare, and has received no common name Its 

 scientific cognomen is Ophiophagus, and is given in allusion to the -fact 

 that it largely lives upon other serpents. So poisonous is it that its bite 

 will kill a man in three minutes, an elephant in two hours. 



More closely allied to the cobra than the form just mentioned is the 

 asp of Egypt, but it is doubtful whether this is the celebrated species which 

 caused the death of Cleopatra, or whether another form which shares the 

 same common name, and which is figured farther on, should have the honor. 



Forms allied to the asp and cobra are found all over tropical Asia and 

 Africa, some extending south into Australia and the adjacent islands. They 

 differ greatly in their poisonous capacities, the bite of some being fatal, 

 while that of others causes but little irritation. In this connection should 

 be mentioned the really poisonous harlequin-snake of our southern states, 

 a black species ringed with yellow and a deep red. It is really a beautiful 

 form, but it is so sluggish in its actions, and so little inclined to bite, that 

 it is usually regarded as harmless. 



One group of these poisonous snakes is pre-eminently aquatic. Their 

 tails, instead of being round like those of terrestrial serpents, are flattened 

 into a broad paddle, which is of great use in swimming. Almost all of 

 them live wholly in the sea, the great majority of them being found in the 

 Indian Ocean, while one species extends its range across the broad Pacific 

 to the Bav of Panama and New Zealand. 



So wonderfully are these forms modified for their aquatic life, that it is 

 interesting to study their structure more closely. Not only is the tail 

 formed into a paddle, but the body is sharp-edged below, like the belly of 

 a fish. These forms of course breath air; but they can go a long time 

 without breathing, and thus can stay beneath the water for hours. Before 

 going down they fill their large lungs with air, and then the curious little 

 valves on the nostrils close, preventing any entrance of the water. Beneath 

 the surface they swim rapidly, hunting for their prey. When a small fish 

 is seen, they pursue it, strike it with the poison-fangs, and await its death, 

 which follows almost instantly, and is accompanied by an entire relaxation 

 of every muscle. It would be almost impossible for one of these forms, 

 spending its life sometimes hundreds of miles from land, to find a place to 

 deposit its eggs. It is saved all trouble on this score, however, as it brings 

 forth its young — from six to nine at a birth — alive. These young are 

 active creatures, and on their first emergence into the world of waters, 

 they can swim as well, and are as able to take care of themselves as are 



