THE SNAKES OF BANGKOK. 



Ly Malcolm Smith. 



The followincr articles are the outcome of a paper which was 

 read before tlie Society in June last. At that time only the comiiiou 

 sppcies were dealt with, but the matter has since been enlarged to in- 

 clude all the speci'-s at present known to have been luund in Bangkok 

 and its imrne'diate neighbourhood. 



A fall technical description of each snake will not be attempted 

 h-ere, but sufficient will be given, it is hoped, to enable anyone f<« 

 identify all the species likely to be met with, Tiie (Inscriptions as 

 regards coloration appl}^ only to those found in Hanukok, anrl do not. 

 necessarily hold good for the same species in other pails ot Siam, al- 

 though all those that I have so far been able to examiiu- fimn various 

 districts show, practically, no variation. It shoulil bi' rempui tiered 

 however, that some snakes diifer considerably in markings, especially, 

 when they come from other countries, and to distinguish them by this 

 means alone, cannot always be relied upon. The clianieter and dis- 

 position of the scales upon the head and body must lie taken into 

 consideration, for they remain almost constant, ami form the only 

 trustworthy guide to identification. 



The accompanying plate shows the confuruiai ion and relal ion- 

 ship of the various scales which are iised for this pur|>ose, and at the 

 conclusion of these articles will be fonu'd a very simple k^y, by which 

 anj'-one can readily distinguish all the sjiecies which have been 

 described. 



In 1900 Captain Stanley Flower after spending some two years in 

 this country, published an article* in the Procccdiiijs af ih.e Zoohxjirnl 



* "Notes on a Scc'ciid CiIKm-i i.Ki (.!' I.'.'juil-.'s nm-Jr in i\ir Maliiv rciiin- 

 «nla and Siuui." Onlv iIiom- )>niiiM,ii> ch'iilinu; with Siuiii l:u\e been ivfcrifd 

 •to iu the proiieiit artichs. 



