THE POISONOUS SNAKES OF INDIA. 323 



slipper. A yoar later the place swelled up again, became painful, 

 and discharged matter. Ferguson also mentions having met a hill- 

 man with a withered right arm which he (the native) attributed to a 

 bite from this reptile. 



Dimensions. — Grows to ?>\ feet. 



Colour. — Greenish variegated with blackish, or dark blackish-green. 

 Boulenger says olive, yellowish or reddish-brown. Flanks coarsely 

 dappled with buff. Belly greenish or yellowish. 



Group 5 — Pitless Vipers. 



Identification. — (1) Tail round. (2) Snout and crown covered with 

 small scales similar to those on the bak of the lody * ; see Fig. 37. 

 (3) Only a part of the last row of coslals is visible on either side of the 

 ventral s when the specimen is laid on to its back (see Fig. 5). (4) No. 

 lortal pit. 



This group includes 4 species referable to 3 genera. They may be 

 identified as follows : — - 



A. Shields beneath tail similar to those be- 



neath belly (see SO., Fig. 9 Bj Echis carinata. 



B. Shields beneath tail divided (tee SC., Fig. 9 D) 



(a) Ventrals with 2 ridges (see Yal., 



Fig. 37) Eristocophis macmahonii. 



(b) Ventrals not ridged. 



3 chains of large spots, one along 



spine, and one on each side Yipera russelli. 



I chain of spots along spine, none ., lebetin-i. 

 on the sides. 



Echis carinata — The Little Indian Viper. 



The "Kuppur" of Sind. " Phoorsa " of the Bombay Presidency. 

 "Afar" about Delhi. The " Kallu havoo " of Mysore. " Kattu 

 viriau" about Madras ;and the "Horatta pam, " according to Russell, 

 on the Coromandel Coast. 



Identification, — The undivided state of the shields beneath the tail 

 will admit of no confusion with others of this group. 



Supplementary characters : Supraocular not divided. Nasal touches 

 the rostral and the Jst supralahial. Eye. — Diameter exceeds its distance 



* A few harmless ^nakts h ive the sno'it cov. red with sm .11 scales,— for iusiance, the Genus 

 Eryx. Bipistes too m^y be included with these. Tn all these, two or often many more rows 

 of costals are vis.ble from beneath (see Fig. 9). 



