220 



SNAKES. 



forests, the neighbourhood of human dwellings it strictly avoids. Somewhat slow 

 in its movements, it is unable to climb trees ; and its food consists of other snakes, 

 lizards, insects, and centipedes. 



Resplendent In Asia the place of the coral-snake and its allies is taken by a 



Adders. group of nearly allied species which may be collectively termed 

 resplendent adders. From the last genus these are distinguished by the presence 

 of a distinct groove along the w T hole of the front surface of the upper fangs, and 

 also by the scales being arranged in thirteen rows. None of the teeth behind the 

 fangs are solid, and the shields on the head (among which the loreal is wanting) 

 are of large size. A further difference from the American genus is to be found in 

 the presence of postfrontal bones in the skull. These adders, which are mostly 



LONG-GLANDED SNAKE AND MASKED ADDER (J Hat. size). 



less than 3 feet in length, are represented by seven species, spread over the Oriental 

 region, Southern China, and Japan. The masked adder (Callophis macdellandi), 

 which attains a length of 26 inches, and ranges from Nipal to the south of China, 

 is generally reddish brown above, with regular black, light-edged transverse rings 

 placed at equal distances from one another ; the under-parts being yellowish with 

 black crossbands or squarish spots. The resplendent adders resemble the coral- 

 snake in the slowness of their movements, and their inability to ascend trees ; their 

 favourite resorts being hilly districts. They closely resemble the harmless snakes 

 of the genus Calamaria, upon the different species of which they chiefly feed. 

 Long-Gianded Closely allied to the preceding are two snakes from. Burma and 



Snakes. ^he Malayan region which merely differ in that the poison-glands, 

 instead of being confined to the back part of the head, extend along each side of 

 the body for about a third of its total length, gradually thickening till they end in 

 front of the heart in club-shaped expansions. The heart being thrown further 



