ON SERPENT-WORSHIP AND VENOMOUS SNAKES. 101 



appearance. It is very poisonous ; the virus is of the same 

 character as that of daboia. There can be little doubt that 

 it destroys many human lives, as men are much more exposed 

 to contact with it than with the daboia. It is said to live 

 largely on the scolopeudridae, but probably it preys also on 

 small mammals, frogs, and small birds. In some parts of India 

 it is probably chargeable with a considerable number of 

 deaths. 



Pit vipers (Crotalidae)h&ve several genera in India. They 

 are less dangerous than their American congeners, but are all 

 poisonous. They are remarkable for the pit or depression 

 between the eye and nostril in the loreal region, the triangular 

 broad head, and short, thick body. 



Hirpnale is the only Indian genus or species with any 

 vestige of the caudal appendage, which has given the name 

 of rattlesnake to certain American Crotalidae, and in this 

 species it is reduced to a horny spine at the end of the tail. 



Many of the Indian Crotalidae are arboreal snakes, and in 

 colour resemble the foliage and branches of the trees in which 

 they live. The Indian genera are: — Trimeremrus ; T. gravii- 

 neus, T. erythrurus, T. carinatus, T. anamallensis, T. moidicola, 

 T. strigattis, T. macrosquamatuz ; Peltopelor ; P. macrolepis ; 

 Jfali/s, H. himalayanus, H. Elliottii ; Hypnale, H. Nepa (or 

 carawilla). The bites of most of these do not seem to differ 

 much in their effects from those of the English adder, except 

 the Hypnale nepa, or carawilla of South India, which is more 

 dangerous. 



There remains only to notice briefly the pelagic colubrine 

 snakes, or Hydrophidae. They may be recognised at cnce by 

 their peculiarities. With one or two exceptions they are all 

 venomous, and inhabit the sea, the salt-water estuaries, and the 

 tidal streams. They have a very wide range of distribution in 

 the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They have a great variety of 

 form, but the transitions are very gradual ; some attain a 

 considerable length ; I have not seen one of more than five 

 feet, but no doubt they often exceed this. They are very 

 poisonous, and though accidents are rare, yet fatal cases are 

 (in record. The fishermen and sailors on the coasts know 

 their dangerous properties, and avoid them. 



The Hydrophidae have smaller heads, jaws and fangs than 

 the land snakes; the fangs have open grooves in some, but 

 not all. The virus is very active, and appears to operate us 

 speedily and certainly as that of the land snakes. They have 

 an elongated body like the latter; in some instances it is 



