64 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVII. 



in 17, 18 and 26 minutes, 1 hour 55 minutes, and 26 hours 18 

 minutes. 



Again Fayrer's* experiments on dogs produced a fatal issue in in- 

 tervals varying between 4 hours and 28 minutes to 10 days. All these 

 creatures were bitten in the thigh. They appeared to suffer little pain, 

 but exhibited restlessness, and then walked a bit lame. Dejection of 

 spirits followed, and salivation, retching, or vomiting were very constant, 

 and in one case persistent cough. The gait became uncertain, and 

 staggering, till muscular weakness prompted a recumbent posture. The 

 breathing became affected, and in two cases some muscular spasms were 

 noted. In at least 3 cases the animals partially recovered or the symp- 

 toms abated for a time, but death supervened after some days. In one 

 case there was diarrhoea, and in another some mucosanguineous dejecta 

 were occasioned. The blood in all cases coagulated firmly after death. 

 These experiments all tend to confirm the veracity of Burmese state- 

 ments. Compare for instance these with experiments with cobra and 

 daboia poisons (q. v.). 



Dimenions. — It grows to 6 feet and over. 



Colour. — Alternately and completely banded black and yellow. 

 Bungarus lividus. — The Black Krait. 



Identification. — Its uniform black colour combined with the habitat 

 should make its identity easy. Two other uniform black snakes, which 

 somewhat resemble it, are the poisonous Melanelaps mcphersoni \q. v.), 

 and the harmless Xenopeltis unicolor. The former I have only very 

 recently had the privilege of describing for the first time. Its verte- 

 brals are not enlarged, nor is it like a krait in several other shield 

 characters. The latter is a common snake in Burmah. The extreme 

 northern range of its distribution is uncertain. It presents none of the 

 characters given above as peculiar to the kraits. 



Supplementary characters. — The vertebrals are less enlarged than in 

 any of the other kraits, so that in the middle of the body the breadth 

 of these scales is rather less than their length, still the enlargement is 

 obvious. 



Distribution. — A rare snake. Of 4 specimens in the British Museum 

 3 are from Assam, and 1 from India; precise locality not stated.- 



Poison. — Nothing known. 



Dimensions. — Grows to about 3 feet. 



* " Thanatophidia," pp. 68, 69, 84, 99, 101, 107 and 118. 



