THE SNAKES OF BANGKOK. 13 



This collar entirel}^ disappears as the snake grows up. The change to 

 brown takes place later in life, and is confined to adult age. Whether 

 it occurs in all specimens I cannot say. My own experience in Bang- 

 kok is that it does so. 



Family Colcrridae 

 Subfamily AciiOCHORDiNAE 



7. Acroehordas javanims. The Elephant's Trunk Snake. 



Siamese. ^ >3'^>3 a1>3 ( ngu nguang chang ). Faii'ly common 

 in Bangkok, inhabiting the river and klongs. Often Cciught in the 

 mud lett by the receding tide. Occasionally to be found crossing a 

 road, but on land it is quite out of its element and its movements are 

 slow and clumsy, progressing as much like a gigantic worm as like a 

 snake. As with many of the fresh water snakes, it has an extremely 

 sluggish disposition, at an}' rate during the day time. In captivity it 

 hardly ever moves except under cover of darkness. If handled (|uietly 

 it makes no attempt to bite, but if roughly seiz:'d will turn swiftly 

 upon one. and with its large teeth can inflict severe wounds. 



Food. This consists chiefly of fish, but it is pnssilile that this 

 sjiecies is also vegetarian in its diet. In the stomach of one caught 

 in Java,* a (juantity of undigested fruit was found, and in one cauglit 

 in Bangkok 1 discovererl a curious conglomeration of small hard nuts, 

 small stones, a large piece of string, as well as a quantity of fish bones. 

 Such things could onh* liave been swallowed acr-identall}', or more 

 probably were in the stt maeh of some creature eaten by the snake. 

 1 am not sure that it will n(>t eat carrion. Further observations ujjon 

 its diet vvill be interesting. 



It is a })rolific snake. Cantor mentions one in liis ])ossessi(>n 

 which brougiit forth 27 yoking ones, and two othei's which I examined 

 towards the end C'f May contained respectively 27 and o2 well 

 developed embryos. 



Diinensio/is. Vv) to 25i.)0 nnn. ^Houleiiger). The lai'gest speci- 

 men I have seen measured 18oo mm. (6 feet). Fur its length this 

 snake has enormous girth, greater than that of any other snake 

 I know. This })oint is well broUiiht out in the very excellent 

 plate, reproduced from a photograph taken while the creature was alive 



* Vide Buuieiigers Repiilia and Batruehia rf the Malut/ I'eninsnla, 



