Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S. 
induced certain kinds of snakes to take to 
a subterranean existence. Most of these 
have become completely blind, but the 
species represented in the accompanying 
photograph, together with several more or 
less nearly-allied kinds, still retains small 
functional eyes, from which it may perhaps 
be assumed that it has taken to burrowing 
at a later date than its blind relatives. 
Possibly this idea is supported by the circum- 
stance that, in the white-spotted burrowing 
snake and its immediate relations, the 
underside of the body is covered by shields 
approaching in size those found on this 
surface in ordinary snakes, whereas in other 
burrowing snakes the body is covered all 
round with small scales like those on the 
back of snakes in general. A further pecu- 
liarity of these particular snakes is to be 
found in the extreme shortness and bluntness 
of the tail, as is well shown in the illus- 
tration. Nor is this all, for, in common with 
pythons and boas, they retain vestiges of 
WSHITE-SPOTTED 
BURROWING SNAKI 
the hind-limbs and pelvis, visible externally 
as small spine-like processes, and internally 
represented by rudimentary bones. These 
snakes lead a partly burrowing life, feeding 
largely upon earth-worms and insects. 
The most beautiful member of the family 
is the West Indian coral-snake, marked by 
alternate bands of shining black and coral 
red, and growing to a yard in length. ‘The 
West Indian ladies use these snakes as boas, 
but for the purpose of keeping themselves 
cool instead of for warmth. 
Of the other three families of burrowing 
snakes, all the members of which are totally 
blind, one group, the so-called shield-tails, 
take their name from the abrupt and oblique 
truncation of the tail, which looks as though 
the tip had been sliced off with a knife 
and a patch of scaly skin pasted over the 
surface thus made. It is said that these 
snakes burrow by means of this truncated 
tail ;—certainly it cannot much matter to a 
blind snake which end goes first! 
(Culindrophis). 
