

VERTEBRATA. 



are i«xooodiii','lv vt-nomous, ami arr iiuk'Ii .In a<lc(l l>y the fishermen, in wliose nets they arc not 

 unfre.jiHMitly caiiLcht. They rarely exceed lour leet in lenjrth. 



Uauts ri'li.A.MIS: /'ilniiils. — This iiiclinles the ]>icoloued Sea-Snake, P. hicolor, found 

 nU>n-' the islands of tlie I'a.'ifie. Oe.an, especially in the vicinity of Tahiti, where its flesh is 

 eaten l>v the natives. Anotlier species, the J\ onia/a, is found in the region of Borneo. 



The IIankki) Ska-Snakk, C/icrsi/drus f/rcmidatus, inhabits the bottoms of saline creeks ami 

 ditches ill Java; it is exceedingly venomous. 



Then' are several other ixenera, according to Dr. Gray, as the Lnpemis, Aluria, Microcephalophis, 

 Kiihinlriud, J/i/(iroj)liis, ('hituliu, Krrilia, A'c., Couiid along the coasts of Asiji, and of the Asiatic 



Islands. 



TIIH FRESH-WATER SNAKES. 



The.sc are more numcrotis tliaii lli<' preceding group, the species being distributed over all the 

 tropical re«;ions of the earth ; they are especially abundant in India, China, the Asiatic Isles, the 

 West Indies, and South America. Several species arc common in the United States. 



Gvntis C'KKl USUI'S: Cerberus. — This includes the Karoo Bokadam of India, C. cinereus; it 



is three and a half to four feet 

 long, its body covered with im- 

 bricated scales ; color dark gray 

 above ; dark yellow beneath. 

 It has no poisonous organs ; 

 found in India. There are other 

 species of Bokadam in Borneo, 

 the Philippine Isles, and Aus- 

 tralia. 



Genus TROPIDONOTUS : 

 Tropidonotus. — The animals of 

 this genus possess the power of 

 elevating the ribs, and thus flat- 

 ten the body ; they are consequently able to swim well ; some, in fact, live mostly in the water ; 

 others, though living on the land, are more or less aquatic. The species best known in this 

 country is the Common Water-Snake, T. sipedon, from two and a half to four feet long ; body 

 robust, color variable, but usually dark brown above, sides mahogany color, beneath white, varied 

 with reddish. It generally lives in water, and is often seen along the borders of rivers and lakes, 

 sometimes coiled upon a stick on the margin. It is of a sullen, threatening aspect, but is entirely 

 harmless. It feeds on frogs and fishes, and is often called the Water-Adder. It is found in the 

 Middle and Eastern States and in Ohio ; probably its range is still more extensive. 



The Tropidonotus fasciatus resembles the preceding; it lives most of its time in the water, or 

 about the banks of ponds and rivers, feeding upon frogs and other small reptiles. It swims with 

 great rapidity, and hundreds of them may be seen darting through the water in all dii-ections, 

 constantly protruding their tongues as if to feel the objects before them. It is a bold species, 

 and is often seen in summer on the lower branches of trees overhanging the water ; found in the 

 Southern States. 



The Copper-Belly, T. erythrorjaster, is four feet long, brownish red above, and bright copper 

 color below ; habits like the preceding ; found in the Carolinas. 



The T. taxispilotus is a large water-snake, found in South Carolina and Georgia. The T. 

 niger is a rare species, found in New England. The T. rigklus is found from Pennsylvania to 

 Mississippi. 



The Common Striped-Snake, T. slrtalis of Holbrook, T. tcenia of De Kay, is two to four feet 

 long, color greenish-brown, with three light-colored stripes along the body, the colors varying 

 in shade ; the tail is short and rapidly slopes to a point. It is one of our most common species, 

 and is found from Canada to the Southern States ; vast numbers are devoured by hawks and 

 owls. It is abundant in Ohio, where it is eaten by hogs, and also, it is said, by fowls, ducks, and 

 turkeys. It feeds on frogs, toads, and the smaller quadrupeds ; it is timid, and seeks retreat 



THE KAROO BOKADAM. 



