134 TYPES OF ANIMAL LIFE 



hold of the frog, with great violence against the sides of 

 the box. After a few moment's rest the other returned 

 to the attack, and at length the one which had last seized 

 the frog, having a less firm hold, was shaken oiF, and the 

 victor swallowed the prey.'' The frog is generally alive, 

 not only during the process of deglutition, but even after 

 it has passed into the stomach. Mr. Bell once saw a very 

 small one which had been swallowed by a large snake in 

 my possession hop again out of the mouth of the latter, 

 which happened to gape, as they frequently do imme- 

 diately after taking food. On another occasion he heard 

 a frog distinctly utter its peculiar cry several minutes 

 after it had been swallowed by the snake. 



This reptile is easily tamed, and will learn to dis- 

 tinguish those who feed and caress it. It will sometimes 

 nestle spontaneously within the folds of its master's 

 garments and hiss at a stranger who would meddle 

 with it. 



One hundred and twelve species of harmless colubrine 

 snakes inhabit India. Among the most attractive are 

 the delicate tree snakes {Dendrophis), which very rarely 

 descend to the ground, finding food enough among the 

 birds and those kinds of frogs and lizards which also 

 dwell in trees. 



The venomous colubrines differ from the others in 

 having some or other of the teeth of their upper jaws 

 grooved. Amongthem are other tree snakes (i)ipsas) found 

 in Africa, South Asia and North Australia, and singularly 

 beautiful in coloration, and the yet more slender arbo- 

 real whip snakes, with very long pointed heads [Di-yophis) , 

 which are nocturnal in habit, and feed mainly on birds. 

 One kind is very handsome, being black with a multitude 

 of golden spots. A closely allied Indian form is very 

 singular in its resemblance to a curious African kind, 



