MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 63 J 



the water which stirs up the sediment and two pouches swell out from the 

 lower part of the gills ; these pouches may be called a fringe. They get 

 more and more excited and try to reach each other through the glass, 

 dashing themselves against it and altogether looking very fierce. They have 

 to come up to the top of the water very often for air, each time leaving a 

 little bubble floating on top, then back again to fight, so they will go on 

 for hours, only stopping when the bottles are separated, when they calm 

 down into dull little fish again, their tails and fins closing up and thus 

 they will stay for hours without moving. 



The Siamese breed these fish for sport and much betting is done, two 

 fish being put together in the same glass bowl and that fish which kills 

 the other is the winner, some being quite noted for the large number of 

 fights and kills they have had. 



I am told the fight does not last long, and sometimes, if taken out in 

 time and placed in a separate jar, the vanquished fish will come to life 

 again, one only wonders how any of these fish survive intheir natural state, 

 though I understand, however, it is only the males that fight. I have never 

 put two of my fish together to see a fight as I have always had so much 

 trouble to get them, being rather rare, as however I have now given four to 

 the Bombay Natural History Society's Museum, perhaps they would like to 

 try two ; if so, they may add a note to this, of the result. 



One thing I have done, put one fighting fish in a bowl with small Chinese 

 gold fish, with the result, he killed the lot, 



F. H. S. STONE. 

 Bombay, Sth July 1913. 



No. XXVII.— SOME FACTS ABOUT RUSSELL'S EARTH SNAKE 

 (EJRYX CONICUS). 



On the 17th September this year, I was out on reconnaissance near 

 Tank, N. W. F. P., in the Dera Ismail Khan District, and some of my 

 sepoys called my attention to a snake lying in a field which they said 

 was a double-headed one. 



On looking at the beast I saw a snake, well over two feet in length, 

 very sluggish in movement and heavy in appearance. The shape of the 

 body was cylindrical, and it was of the same thickness from head to tail, 

 the circumference being about 2^ inches or more. Of tail there was really 

 none, tlie posterior being blunt with a slight depression in the centre, two 

 small dark knobs on either side of the posterior rather gave the impression 

 of eyes when looked at from a distance. 



The scales seemed very small and of a similar size all over the body, 

 there being no difference in the ventral scales. I did not notice its vent. 



The colouration of the body reminded me at first glance of a Russell's 

 Viper, Vijiera russelli, but was more orange-coloured and the markings less 

 defined, the whole of the under surface from the sides was of a dirty white 

 and the actual belly black. The whole skin was very shiny and its eyes 

 seemed black and beady. 



This snake made no attempt to get away and was apparently sunning 

 itself ; but my men, who vowed it was poisonous, killed it. Unfortunately 1 

 had no means of taking it along withmc. 



Now I had with me Afridis, Khattaks, Punjab Mohammedans and Sikhs, 

 and they all had special names for it and all swore as to its various powers. 

 One story was, that a man once bitten will be bitten by a snake every year 

 on tho anniversary of the first bite, and I see that this is mentioned in the 

 account of this snake in Vol. XXI, No. 1, J. B. N. H. S. 



