382 



GEOGRAPHICAL ZOOLOGY. 



[part IV. 



The Erycidse, or Land Snakes, form a small but natural family, 

 chiefly found in the desert zone on the confines of the Palsearctic, 

 Oriental, and Ethiopian regions. They range from South Europe 

 to West Africa and to Sikhim. The three genera are distributed 

 as follows : — 



Cursoria (1 sp.), Afghanistan ; Gongylophis (1 sp.), India and 

 Sikhim ; Eryx (4 sp.), has the range of the entire family. 



Family 19.— ACEOCHORDID.E. (2 Genera, 3 Species) 



General Distribution. 



The Acrochordidae, or Wart Snakes, form a small and isolated 

 group, found only in two sub-divisions of the Oriental region — 

 the South Indian and the Malayan, and in New Guinea. 



Acrochordus, inhabits Penang, Singapore, and Borneo ; Chersy- 

 drus, Southern India and the Malay Peninsula, with a species 

 recently discovered in New Guinea. 



Family 20.— ELAPIDiE. (23 Genera, 100 Species.) 



The Elapidse, or Terrestrial venomous Colubrine Snakes, are 

 an extensive group, spread over the tropics of the whole world, 

 but especially abundant in Australia, where half the known 

 species occur, some of them being the most deadly of venomous 

 serpents. In the Oriental region they are also abundant, contain- 

 ing amongst other forms, the well-known Cobras. The American 

 species are almost equally numerous, but they all belong to one 



