20 



REPTILE GALLERY. 



arrangement of their scales, and their sometimes beautiful colo- 

 ration and lustre can be preserved. Therefore only a small propor- 

 tion of the collection is exhibited, of which the following deserve 

 particular notice : — 



The Burrowing or Blind Snakes (Typhlopida &c.) are small 

 worm-like species, with teeth in one of the jaws only, and without 

 enlarged ventral plates. They are numerous in Africa and India, 

 though occurring also in tropical America and Australia ; one 

 species is found in South-eastern Europe. 



The Colubridce form the great bulk of the Order, and are 

 found in every part of the temperate and tropical regions, but 

 are only scantily represented in Australia and the islands of the 



Fig. 15. 



Smooth Snake {Coronella 

 Ice vis). 



Common Snake (Tropidonotiis 

 natrix). 



Pacific. To this group belong the Smooth Snake [Coronella 

 lavis), found in the southern parts of England, and the Common 

 or Ringed Snake (Tropidonotus natrix). Spilotes and Ptyas are 

 known by the name of Rat-Snakes. 



The Freshwater Snakes (Homalopsidce) are thoroughly aquatic, 

 several of them even entering the sea. In some points of their 

 organization they approach the truly marine Hydrophida. They 

 feed on fish, and belong chiefly to the Indian region. 

 Case 26.] The Tree- or Whip-Snakes [Bendrophidce and Dryoplnda) 

 are exceedingly slender and elongate, and some are exquisitely 



