552 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



the wounds. It grew Very sick, and developed bloody stools. 

 Three days later the pup Was well, but the wound sloughed. 



(3) The next day the same snake bit a fowl above the left 

 eye. The bird died four days later. 



(4) The next day the same snake bit a half -grown fowl in 

 the comb. The bird was sick twelve hours later, but recovered. 



(5) A month later it bit a half -grown fowl in the eye. The 

 bird sickened, but had recovered in twenty -four hours. 



(6) A fortnight later it bit a bull-frog in the head, and the 

 frog succumbed in five hours. 



These experiments serve to show that the poison is not Very 

 virulent, but evidently an intense local irritant. In the human 

 subject most of the casualties were treated by ligature and 

 permanganate of potash or carbolic acid. The drugs would 

 mask any pain caused by the poison, and the ligature would 

 produce a swelling over and above that attributable to the 

 poison, so that there is nothing definite to learn from these 

 casualties. No constitutional effects were observed in any 

 of these cases. 



Lepidosis. — (a) Typical : The rostro -nasal sutures are greater 

 than the rostro -labial. The hump on the nose Varies much 

 in length, and is covered by from 4 to 12 small scales. Inter- 

 nasals : A pair, not or barely in contact ; completely separated 

 from the prefrontals by a transverse series of scales. Pre- 

 frontals : A pair, completely separated from the frontal by a 

 transverse series of small scales. Frontal : Touches eight 

 shields ; the fronto-supraocular sutures are longer than the 

 fronto-parietals. Supraoculars : Length subequal to the fron- 

 tal ; as long as the parietals ; breadth greater than the frontal 

 along a line connecting the centres of the eyes. Parietals : 

 As long as the frontal. Nasal : Entire. The floor of the 

 loreal pit is either formed by the upper part of the 2nd supra - 

 labial, or by a scale or scales independent of the 2nd supra- 

 labials. Prseoculars : Three ; the median and lowest divergent 

 to border the loreal pit. Postoculars : Two ; the lower larger, 

 Temporals ; Three or more; the lowest large. Suboculars : One 

 or two. Supralabials : Seven ; the 1st only touching the 

 nasal, none touching the eye, and the 4th and 5th the lowest 



