326 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XV It. 



pur* (Sind) says, " A reference to police returns will show that in by 

 far' the greatest majority of cases serious injury and death have been 

 caused by the bite of this species." Again he avers " the Kuppur is 

 without exception the most deadly poisonous snake in Sind." Mr. 

 Millard has informed me by letter of the case of an attendant in the Bom- 

 bay Natural History Society's Rooms who, in October 190.-!, was bitten 

 by an Echis in the temple. He was taken off at once to hospital, 

 admitted that he felt no fear, but in spite of prompt treatment died 

 24 hours afterwards. 



In Delhi, in 1897, I knew, and many times saw a famous snake- 

 catcher called Kalian bring his week's bag to the Civil Hospital where 

 he extracted the poison of cobras, kraits and "afais" for the Civil 

 Surgeon (Major Dennys, I. M.S.) who sent it on to the Government of 

 India. The poison collected, he convej^ed his specimens to the Deputy 

 Commissioner for the Government rewards. Jiach head had to be chopped 

 off', and when later he was counting these out for the satisfaction of an 

 official before payment, one Echis head fastened itself on to his finger. 

 The dose of prison under the circumstances must have been very 

 small, nevertheless most alarming symptoms rapidly supervened, and 

 Major Dennys told me that when he visited the man that night he 

 expected he would die, so grave was his condition. He, however, 

 recovered. One must not allow oneself to be misguided by the many 

 records in which dogs and other small animals have not succumbed to 

 the bite of this snake, and infer that man would probably be even less 

 affected. One can find numerous instances of small animals not 

 succumbing to the effects of bites of cobras and Russell's vipers though 

 we know how fatal these poisons usually are. 



Dimensions. — Grows to about 2 feet. 



Colour. — Various shades from sandy to dark cedar. A more or less 

 distinct pal a sinuous flank line always present. A pale mark on the 

 crown somewhat resembling the imprint of a bird's foot. Belly uniform 

 whitish, or dotted with light brown or dark spots. 



Eristocophis mcmahonii — McMahon's Viper. 



Identification. — The ventral shields are ridged on either side urlike 

 other species of this group, and this is the best means of diagnosis 

 (see Fig. 37 C). 



* Trans. <.f the Bomb. Med. and Phys. Soc, Vol. ILL, p. 80. 



