SNAKES. 313 



penetrated to the Iiiglicr regions of the large islands, I should have 

 obtained a large number of new species. My collections refer for 

 the most part to the sea-border and its vicinity. In the elevated 

 interior of such an island as Guadalcanar there is a region of great 

 promise for the collector ; but I shall have a further occasion to 

 refer to this topic. 



Tlie Monitor, Varamis indicus, may be often seen at the coast, 

 basking in the glare of the mid-day sun on the trunks of pros- 

 trate trees or on the bare rocks. It is considered edible by the 

 natives of Bougainville Straits. "Whilst we were anchored at Oima 

 Atoll, Lieutenant Leeper captured a very large specimen (5 feet 7^ 

 inches long)^ on tlie rocks close to the sea, and towed it off alive to 

 the ship. After we had tried in vain to strangle it by a coi'd, a lead 

 was fastened to it and it was sunk overboard, but an hour passed 

 before we could say that the reptile was really dead. This Monitor 

 is probably able to swim considerable distances. It very likely owes 

 its wide range (from Celebes to the Solomon Group including Cape 

 York) to the agency of floating trees. On examining the stomach 

 and intestines, I found them empty. An enormous quantity of 

 fat, developed in two large lobes in connection with the omentum or 

 some other part of the pei-itoneum, almost filled the abdominal 

 cavity. V/ith this store of sustenance and heat, these reptiles must 

 be able to live without food for a long time.- 



Snakes. Hitherto, the following six species of Ophidians have 

 been found in the Solomon Group. All of them were included in 

 my collection and one of them has been described by Mr. Boulenger 

 as a new species. 



JJoidos 

 Enygrus carinatus 

 „ bibronii 



Colubridce 



, Dendrophis solomonis 



Dipsas irregularis 



Elapidce 

 Hoplocephalus par 7i. sp. 



1 A specimen shot in the Florida Islands measured 3 feet 8 inches. 



- As an instance of the tenacity of life that some reptiles possess, I may refer to the case of 

 a young terrapin which I kept inadvertently for nearly five months on the coast of China 

 without any sustenance except the dry rust of a tin can. 



