VIII. REPTILIA AND BATRACHIA. 65 



with no scientific knowledge, to be the agent by which the poison 

 is introduced into the system, but the poison glands lie at the root 

 of a pair of fangs, one on each side of the upper jaw, and the poison 

 is ejected through a groove in the tooth. The poisonous snakes 

 have few teeth, while the non-poisonous have many. Australian 

 snakes are in Case 15a Australian Hall. Foreign Snakes are in 

 a Case in the Central Hall. 



Snakes are divided into the following sub-orders* : 



Sub-order I. SOLONOGLYPHA, which includes Vipers 



and Rattlesnakes. — These have broad, flat, triangular heads, 

 with one large moveable fang and a poison gland. The common 

 adder or viper of Europe, the vipers of Africa, the puff adder 

 of South Africa, and other similar snakes form one family of this 

 sub-order. Another family is composed of the rattlesnake of 

 America and similar species. 



Sub-order II. PROTEROGLYPHA— This sub-order 



includes some of the most deadly of all snakes, and is well represen- 

 ted in Australia. Its peculiarity is that the poison fano-s are 

 grooved in front and are not movable, while behind the fangs are 

 one or more teeth. It is divided into two families. 



1. The Elapidce, which have a very broad head. The Cobra 

 {Naja tripudians) of India, and the Speckled Snake {Faja haje) 

 of Egypt belong to this family, as also the Hamadryad or Tree 

 Snake of India, and others. The principal Australian forms 



are :- 



Acanthophis antarctica — Death Adder. 



HoplOCephaluS CUrtUS— Brown-banded Snake. 



„ variegatus— Broad-headed Snake, 



jj COronoides — Tasmanian Snake. 



» Signatus — Black-bellied Snake. 



Diemenia superciliosa — Brown Snake. 



„ reticulata— Whip Snake. 



* This classification is from Nicholson's Zoology. 7th ed. 1SS7. 



