294 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



at anyone confronting it. I have many times seen jugglers 

 bitten by their captive specimens. Young are just as plucky 

 as old specimens, and will repeatedly dart at any face placed 

 near to the glass of the vivarium. The repetition of this 

 thrust in a short time damages the nasal appendage, and 

 makes it appear as if covered with many small scales, 

 hence Annandale's pseudo-variety anomalus (vide footnote *). 

 Green says when pressed it will strike out blindly, often in 

 the direction of the face of its opponent. Millard writes to 

 me : " It is when freshly caught very fierce and bites freely." 



Natives in India and Ceylon believe that it strikes at the 

 eyes of persons when confronted with them at close quarters, 

 hence the Tamil and Sinhalese names for it. In this con- 

 nection it is interesting to note that Finn, when holding two 

 specimens, v/as bitten by one that struck at his eye, making 

 two punctures on the upper, and one on the lower lid. Subse- 

 quently, on rubbing the lower lid, he removed a tooth from 

 the wound. Green, again, says of one that it repeatedly 

 struck at his face, though it would not take any notice of 

 his hand. It also struck repeatedly at the eye pieces of a 

 pair of binoculars. 



(c) Striking Posture: When moderately alarmed it emits 

 the tongue from closed jaws, and vibrates the tips. Whilst 

 the tongue is thus retained, the snake rears its head and fore- 

 body, and dilates the forebody so as to bring conspicuously 

 into view the very striking black and white chequering of the 

 skin . If further excited it opens the jaws widely, and expands 

 the lower jaw laterally in a very remarkable manner, so that 

 the jaw, naturally shaped like the bows of a slender boat, 

 becomes shovel-shaped. The mandibles are separated by 

 strong muscular action to about twice their usual breadth, 

 and the edges of the lower lips are simultaneously turned 

 down. While menacing, the neck and forebody are much 



* Anomalus (Aimandale). — -This is not a valid variety. It was 

 described by Annandale as peculiar in having the nasal appendage 

 broken up into small scales as one sees in the species Dryophis pidveru- 

 lenius. Subsequently, however, the condition was found to be due 

 to traumatism, the specimens in captivity acquiring the peculiarity 

 by damaging their noses against the glass of the vivarium. 



