THE HABITS OF MALAY REPTILES. 199 
snake in its mouth to worry it, presently foamed at the month, 
as if he had been licking a toad. and soon dropped tha snake. 
tasted the exudation, and found it bitter, but it had no effect on 
my salivary glands. die is evident, however, that it must act as 
a deterrent on its enemies, and erha s the cobra-like habit of 
sitting up may also sura m an animal about to attack it, but I must 
ay a 
admit the actual resemblance to a cobra is not really very great, 
but gs 
front of the mouth, and Macropisthodon, though it can bite 
а is not poisonous, 
e are a good many snakes of the type usually popularly 
known as i йара, and Water-snakes, several of which attain 
a considerable size, seven or eight feet veh. The black ones 
’ 
whereas as rat-killers they might be encouraged. C. taeniurus, 
c which 1 d of the 
the cave snake, which escribed in tbe last number 
Journal, has been recently caught r. Rostados at Kota 
Tinggi, in Johore, far away from any caves or rocks, this 
Boulenger, and not so white as that of the caves. 
Dipsadomorphus dendrophi!us is a Seve and very beautiful 
harmless snake of considerable size. It usually lives їп man- 
grove swamps, where it sits coiled up on the branches waiting 
for birds or rats. Its colouring is an intense glossy black with 
bright yellow bands, and in this it resembles the deadly т us 
fasciatus, also amangrove-haunting snake, but whether this ca 
classed as a genuine case of mimicry or is gat an accidental 
resemblance it would be hard to say. It is a very quiet snake, 
and becomes quite tame very shortly after кр. Опе сар- 
tured on the Sirangoon river, where itis very abundant, laid 
four rather large oblong white eggs, soon after _ was caught 
The Malays call it Ular ranke or Ular chin-chin m 
D. c nes is another common кейнги boit: five feet in 
length. There are two colour forms of this, pee зва: so 
different “that one would hardly puni them as the In 
one the body is bright brown with darker blotches by a пе es 
