THE HABITS OF MALAY REPTILES, 203 
treating the bite with permanganate of potash, he тегу soon got 
better and was well in a couple of hours. In fact the bite was 
no worse than that of a centipede. A good ise pariah dog 
was bitten on the thigh by a full grown and large sized green 
viper. The wound bled a good deal, иш the dog karah a у 
and ran off, but in an hour or two it reappeared none the worse. 
I have also seen two cases_in which coolies stated they pd been 
bitten by green vipers, and in one certainly saw. the snake (also 
a young one), which was said to have bitten the man, but in 
neither case were there any of the serious symptoms of snake 
bite; and as tbe green viper when it bites holds on tight for some 
time, and does not merely strike without closing his mouth as the 
cobra does, it must inject a good quantity of the saliva into the 
wound ; wherefore I conclude the animal is not as deadly as it is 
reputed to be. Fayrer in “ Thanatophidia " in writing of L. fram 
neus quotes from Russell and Blyth, both of whom had seen cases 
of men bitten by green vipers who merely suffered file pain 
and swelling and recovered, and Russell, experimenting with the 
poison of this species, found that it killed birds, but that pigs and 
dogs recovered, so that it may be doubted that any of these 
and is quite gentle and very sluggish. Young animals live с iefly 
on geckos, the bigger ones eat rats and birds, and it is surprising 
what large rats they will eat. I have given one a large dead rat 
with its arms stretched stiffly out and quite rigid, but the viper 
managed to swallow it quite — getting the sides of its month 
round the projecting arms most s 
The other green coloured ы (Lachesis gramineus) of a 
plain к kaw kin a t tip to its tail, was apparently 
on in Sin re formerly than it is now, for 
while кые Over the in of serpents in the British Mu- 
seum I noticed that there were many specimens of this snake, all 
from early collectors, and very few £. Wagíeri. Now, however, ` 
L. gramineus is quite rare. I have only met with one or two, 
while L. i eh is, as I have said, very common. 
The purple viper Z. gate not a very plen- 
tiful snake, е always to reside оп к веа-5һоге, hiding under 
rocks or basking in the sun. It is of a very deep purple brown 
colour, nearly black. I have caught it on the shore at Toas, and 
= 
