ACKOCHORDID^E. 67 



at the bottom of its cage. This species attains to a length of 

 nearly four feet, the tail measuring but four inches. 



The Acrockordida constitute a very remarkable small family, of 

 which one genus is terrene, and another highly aquatic in its 

 habits. Whether a third genus, the Javanese Xenodermus, should 

 be referred to it, is doubtful in the opinion of Dr. Giinther. These 

 Snakes have the body of moderate length, rounded, or slightly com- 

 pressed, and covered with small wart-like, not imbricate, tubercular 

 or spiny scales ; tail rather short, prehensile ; head rather small, 

 not distinctly separated from the neck, and covered with scales 

 like those of the body ; nostrils close together, at the top of the 

 snout ; teeth short, but strong, of nearly equal size, and situate 

 both in the jaws and on the palate. These serpents are viviparous. 

 One of them, Acrockordus javamcus, inhabits Java and the 

 Malayan peninsula, where it is considered rare. It grows to a 

 length of eight feet, and its habits are terrene. The late Dr. 

 Cantor justly compares its physiognomy to that of a thorough-bred 

 bull-dog ; a female in his possession brought forth no fewer than 

 twenty- seven young in the course of about twenty-five minutes; 

 they were active, and bit fiercely. Hornstedt found a quantity of 

 undigested fruits in the stomach of this Serpent ! Upon which 

 Dr. Giinther remarks that no opportunity of making further 

 observations on the habits of this remarkable Snake should be lost. 

 The aquatic member of this family, Chersydrus gramdatus, in- 

 habits from the coasts of India to those of New Guinea and the 

 Philippine Islands. Sometimes it is met with at a distance of 

 three or four miles from the shore. Mr. W. Theobald remarks 

 that it is plentiful in the Bassein River (in British Burmah), in 

 salt water below Gnaputau, and, with various other Sea Snakes, 

 is frequently swept by the tide into the fishing baskets of the 

 natives. The ebb-tide, running like a sluice, sweeps various Fishes, 

 Crustaceans, Snakes, and even Porpoises occasionally, into the broad 

 mouths of those baskets, where they are at once jammed into a 

 mass at the narrow end of the creel. " The Chersydrus" he adds, 

 " is more nearly connected with the Hydrophidce than with the 

 next family, being as essentially aquatic as any of the former, to 

 which, save from its wanting the poison-gland, it might be appro- 



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