ORDER OPHIDIA ; GENERAL CHARACTERS. 567 



in the venomous qualities of certain families of the order, and in 

 the terrific strength that characterises others ; and also in the 

 insidious manner in which they usually approach their victims. 

 The prejudice is unjust, however, as regards a considerable 

 number of the order, which are neither furnished with poison- 

 fangs, nor of a strength or size to render them dangerous to 

 Man ; and when it can be overcome, there is much in the beauty 

 of their markings, and the grace of their movements, to excite 

 our interest. The species belonging to this order may be grouped 

 under two principal sections, as Colubrine and Viperine Snakes. 

 The Colubrine Snakes are those in which the maxillary bones 

 extend along the whole sides of the mouth, and bear teeth 

 throughout ; so that the upper jaw exhibits four rows of teeth, 

 two in the maxillary, and two in the palatine bones. In the 

 Viperine Snakes, on the contrary, the maxillary bones are re- 

 duced to a very small size, placed quite at the front of the mouth, 

 and endowed with great mobility ; they each bear a single long, 

 curved, and perforated fang ( 473), which communicates with 

 a large poison-gland ( 474), and which by the movements of the 

 maxillary bone is capable of being raised or depressed at pleasure. 

 This section consequently includes none but venomous Snakes ; 

 but some of the Colubrine Snakes are also endowed with venomous 

 powers, and these are distinguished by the presence of fangs 

 amongst the other teeth in the upper jaw ; the fangs in these poison- 

 ous Colubrine Snakes are, however, necessarily incapable of motion. 

 506. The perfectly harmless Colubrine Snakes, or those in 

 which there are no grooved fangs in the upper jaw, form two 

 principal families, the COLUBRIDJE, or Colubers, and the BOID^E, 

 or Boas. Of the former of these, which contains more than 

 half the entire number of species of Snakes, we have an ex- 

 ample in our own country, the common Ringed Snake; which 

 is abundant in low moist woods, damp meadows, and hedgerows 

 in the vicinity of water ; these being the situations in which its 

 favourite food, the Frog, is always to be procured. In this fond- 

 ness for water, and in its power of swimming with facility, the 

 Ringed Snake differs from the Viper, which prefers dry locali- 

 ties. It is a voracious animal, and pursues its prey with great 



