202 THE HABITS OF MALAY REPTILES. 
python. Although the Indian Hamadryad is easily kept in 
confinement in England, | have never been able to keep one very 
long here. It refuses all food, not only its natural food of snakes, 
. The Hamadryad is less common iu Singapore now than 
formerly, I believe, but is occasionally taken. Four or five have 
o 
the Vipers, by far the commonest is Lachesis. W. ugleri, a 
vicious looking, but handsome snake, mottled with green, dark 
blue, yellow and black. Its large flat head, shaped like the ace 
of spades, and narrow yellow eyes, vive it a wicked appearance. 
It is generally about two feet and a half in length when full 
grown, and is thick in proportion to its length. It isan arboreal 
snake, sitting very quietly upon the boughs of trees or bushes, 
where it catches rats and birds. Young specimens are often 
plain dull green with a few distaut reddish spots, and do not at 
all resemble the common form. I have seen a female viper 
opened which contained several young ones, of which all but one 
were coloured like the adult, while the remaining one was of the 
plain green form. It occurs ail over the peninsula, When an- 
ley, Selangor, the l'indinzs and Kedah, as well as Singapore. 
Of 
a 
I have reason to believe is hardly justified. I have seen one 
d 
of blood. Тһе sparrow flew to the end of the cage but showed 
no signs of poisoning, and remained quite lively till the snake 
stepped on a young green viper about a foot long, which bit him 
on the toe. І was not informed of this for over an our, when 
I went to see him and found his leg a good deal swollen and he 
was suffering a good deal of pain, but after rubbing bis leg and 
