1912] Ditmars: Feeding Habits of Serpents 207 



the nerves, benumbing the victim. An Opisthoglyph snake will kill 

 a lizard in less time than a Proteroglyph or Viperine serpent of the 

 same bulk. From one to two minutes may be consumed in render- 

 ing a lizard of the size of the common Anolis entirely inert. The 

 writer's observations relate to the South American Tree Snake, 

 Oxybelis acuminatus, the Indo-Malayan Green Tree Snake, Lryophis 

 mycterizans, the American species of Himantodes and the European 

 Tarbophis vivax. All of the Opisthoglyph snakes retain their hold 

 of the prey until it is dead, then begin to swallow it without releasing 

 the hold. 



With the Proteroglypha* a series of the Colubridae containing two 

 subfamilies, we observe feeding habits quite similar to those of the 

 representatives of the Opisthoglypha, in the retention of hold upon 

 the bitten prey. The present reptiles, however, possess a far more 

 perfect and highly specialized venom apparatus. During the process 

 of evolution into these fanged types, the poison-conducting teeth, 

 primarily grooved, have so folded about the gi^ooves that a trars- 

 verse section of them shows a well-enclosed internal canal. The 

 poison glands are located in the temporal region, where the m.asseter 

 muscles in closing the jaws compress these reservoirs, forcing the 

 venom forward and out of the fangs. The secretion is strongly 

 neurotoxic. The members of the Hydrophiinae, are altogether 

 aquatic; in fact marine. They feed principally upon f sh, and their 

 powerful venom quickly renders the prey inert. They frequently 

 attack species with long and sharp spines, but the poison so relaxes 

 the muscles of the fins that the snake has no difficulty in swallowing 

 the prey. It is worked about in the jaws until the snout points down 

 the reptile's throat, when actual deglutition begins and the spine- 

 bearing fins are pressed against the body of the creature to be swal- 

 owed. 



The remaining subfamily of the Proteroglypha is the Elapinae, the 

 cobras, kraits, coral snakes and their allies. The greater number of 

 these are strictly terrestrial and the majority are alert and active 

 in hunting their food. From extensive studies of these srakes, the 

 writer has observed a series of feeding manoeuvres uniformly similar 

 to those of the non-constrictors of the innocuous Colubridae. The 



*A series of the Colubrine serpents. The members have short, permanently 

 erect venom-conducting teeth situated in the anterior part of the upper jaw. 

 The cobras are famiUar Old World species. The coral snakes are New World 

 representatives. 



