SNAKES 



205 



English " sunk "), the native name of the bangles made from the shell of the great 

 Indian conch. Although seldom exceeding 5 feet, the banded crait, which is a 

 deadly snake, may grow to as much as 6 feet in length. It is mimicked in the 

 matter of colour 

 by a smaller and 

 perfectly harmless 

 snake known as 

 L a < rxlon fasc ia- 

 tus, which has, 

 however, a brown 

 collar on the 

 throat. Whether 

 this is a case of 

 true mimicry may 

 be doubtful, seeing 

 that the banded 

 krait is mainly 

 nocturnal in habit, 

 and is nowadays 

 most frequently 

 seen by Europeans 

 when travelling at 

 night by motor. 

 It is also extraor- 

 dinarily sluggish, 

 so that when trod 

 upon it will merely 

 crawl lazily out of 

 the way, and when 

 observed in the 

 act of swallowing 



another snake will continue its meal in the midst 

 of a circle of admiring natives. It is essentially 

 a cannibal species, and has been seen in the act 

 of swallowing a rat-snake (Zamenis mucosus) of 

 about 5 feet in length, and likewise a large tree- 

 snake of the genus Dipsadomorphus. It is also 

 reputed to kill and eat cobras. Unlike the typical 

 krait (Bungarus cceruleus), which is stated to be 

 responsible for more deaths than aiiy other Indian 

 snake, the banded krait very rarely, if ever, attacks 

 human beings. A vast number of other snakes must 

 be passed over without mention, but a few words must be said with regard to the 

 blind-snakes (Typldopodidce), which are represented in India and the Malay area 

 by the typical genus Typhlops. The commonest species is T. bramimis, the range 

 of which extends from southern China and the Malav Peninsula and Islands to 



