59 



nonsense one hears and sometimes reads about it, such as 

 its swallowing men whole and then twisting itself round 

 trees to crush the victim inside it. 



Snakes reproduce their species by laying eggs. In some 

 snakes the embryo is developed after the egg is laid (ovi- 

 parous), in others the egg contains a perfectly developed foetus 

 (viviparous) and there are various gradations between the 

 two. The term "viper" was originally given to all venom- 

 ous snakes, because it was thought that these were all 

 viviparous while all harmless snakes were thought to be 

 oviparous. This is now known to be erroneous. Many 

 harmless snakes are viviparous while some poisonous oaes, 

 e.g., the cobra, are oviparous. 



At birth the young snake is about one-sixth of the adult 

 length, e.g., the cobra, adult length 66 inches, at birth 

 1 1 inches ; the Dhaman, adult length about 8 feet, at birth 

 15| inches. 



Snakes grow rapidly during their first year of life, more 

 than doubling in length. They are said to reach matur- 

 ity at their fourth year. 



Snakes are said to cast their skins on an average about 

 every two months. The loose skin on the nose and chin is 

 fixed to some object and the snake crawls out of the skin 

 leaving it, of course, inside out. 



I think I am right in saying that all snakes can swim. 

 At any rate, when a snake is seen in the water it must not 

 be assumed that it is necessarily a water snake. Most land 

 snakes take to the water readily and may often be seen swim- 

 ming in rivers and tanks. They also drink water freely. 



Snakes brought to one for examination are frequently 

 much damaged by being hammered about the head and 

 body in the endeavours to kill them, A smart blow or two 

 with a light cane in the middle of the back is generally quite 

 enough to finish off a snake. If caught alive it may be 



