102 SIR JOSEPH EAYRER, K.C.S.I., ETC., 



.short and thick; in others it is very thick towards the tail, 

 and most disproportionately elongated and attenuated in the 

 neck, whilst the head is very minute. The colouration is 

 varied, often brilliant and beautiful. The hinder part of the 

 body and tail is flattened and compressed vertically, almost 

 like the fin or tail of a fish, and they swim with ease and 

 rapidity. When thrown on the land by the surf, as they fre- 

 quently are, they are helpless. Their food is fish and small 

 aquatic creatures. There are certain parts of the Bay of 

 Bengal where they may be seen in great numbers, and their 

 movements in the blue water are agile and beautiful. There 

 are four genera in the Indian seas ; Platurus, Enhydrina, 

 Pelamis, Hydrophis. Platurus has two species, P. scutatus and 

 P. Fischeri (Bay of Bengal, tidal streams near Calcutta). This 

 genus has several characters of the land snakes, e.g., well- 

 marked ventral shields ; body sub-cylindrical, and not com- 

 pressed like Hydrophis; the colour is black, tinged with 

 yellow. 



Enhydrina has only one species, Enhydrina bengalensis 

 (valakadyen) ; it is very poisonous ; body and tail com- 

 pressed, belly carinate ; colour, bluish-grey, with dark bands 

 of same, though deeper colour ; no ventral shields. Pelamis 

 has only one species, P. bicolor. This is one of the most 

 remarkable sea-snakes in the Bay of Bengal ; no ventral 

 shields, body flattened, yellow sides and belly, back black ; 

 it is called kullundur, and is very poisonous. 



Of Hydrophis the species are numerous ; in the Indian seas 

 about thirty have been described, and there are probably 

 others. They present a considerable variety of form and 

 colouration ; some have elongated necks and small heads, the 

 posterior part of the body being larger than the anterior : 

 others have not this characteristic, but they all have a strong 

 family likeness, and may be recognised at once by their com- 

 pressed bodies, fin-like tails, and the general absence of 

 well marked ventral scutas. Their colouring is also remark- 

 able, green, yellow, black, in bands or rings being a common 

 pattern. They are pelagic, though they enter the tidal 

 rivers ; they seldom live long in captivity. 



The mortality from snake-bite in India is very great. The 

 average loss of life during the eight years ending 1887 has 

 been 19,880 human beings, and 2,100 head of cattle yearly. 

 Mr. V. Richards said the cobra causes nine- tenths of the 

 human deaths. The snakes which are most destructive to 

 life are so probably in the following order : — the cobra, 



