PROCEEDINGS. 415 



POISONOUS AND XON-POISONOUS SNAKES. 



Considerable interest was evinced in the rough chart showing in a perfectly 

 simple way how to distinguish between Indian poisonous and non-poisonous 

 snakes. Beside the chart the Curator had arranged specimens of various 

 snakes preserved in spirit which showed clearly how easily identifiable a snake 

 was by means of this chart, which it is hoped to pubhsh by the close of the 

 year and which has already been adopted by the Educational Departments of 

 most of the Provincial Governments and by the Military Medical authorities 

 throughout India. 



The disadvantage of preserving snakes in spirits for exhibition pm-poses was 

 well shown in comparison with some beautiful plaster casts of snakes made in the 

 School of Alt and painted in their ti-ue colours by ]\Ir. S. H. Prater, the 

 Society's Curator. This method of exhibiting specimens wiU, as time and space 

 permits, be extended to fish, the vivid colours of which are quite lost if any of 

 the practical preservatives now known are used. 



The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the various contributors. 



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