ECONOMIC CONSIDERATION 31 



The following species of snakes are described as new frona the Phil- 

 ippines : Typhlops luzonensis, Typhlops manilie, TypJilopa nigosa, Typh- 

 lops longicauda, and Triniercsarits mcgregori. Four new lizards are 

 also described. 

 Van DENBURfiH, John, and Thompson, J. C. A new sea snake. Proc. 

 Cal. Acad. Sci. IV 3 (1908), 41-47,. 1 pi. 



Disteira cincinnatii is described from Manila Bay. 

 WiEGMANN, Aeend Friedp.ich AUGUST. Lists and descriptions of Am- 

 phibia collected during the voyage. Nova Acta Acad. Leop.-Carol. 

 17' (1835) 253, pi. 25, fig. 2. Reprinted in Meyen, F. J. F., Reise um 

 die Erde 3 (1834-43). 



Describes Elaps calligaster (= Hemibungarus calligaster Wieg- 

 mann) and Matrix crehripaiictata. From specimens collected by 

 F. J. F. Meyen. 

 El Archipielago Filipino. Coleccion de datos geograficos, estadisticos, cro- 

 nologicos y cientifieos, relativos al mismo entresacados de anteriores 

 obras u obtenidos con la propia observacion y estudio, por algunos 

 Padres (Jesuitos). Washington, Imprenta del Gobierno 1 (1900). 

 Tratado IX, Capitulo III. Reptiles y Batracios. 



This chapter treats of the reptiles and batrachians of the Islands. 

 Several interesting notes are given on snakes. Python molurus Gray, 

 Typhlops diordii, Typhlops ater Schlegel, and Uropeltis philippimis 

 Cuvier are wrongly attributed to the Philippines. A few lizards are 

 mentioned. On the whole the account is rather untrustworthy. 



ECONOMIC CONSIDERATION OF SNAKES 



Many of the Philippine snakes are poisonous, and many deaths 

 result each year from snake bite. Unfortunately no accurate 

 records have been kept in the Philippines of the actual number. 

 In 1912 Andres Catanjal, a health officer of Tarlac Province, 

 P. I., prepared a work which he designated a report on the 

 poisonous snakes in the Philippines. This work, which is still 

 in manuscript form, gives statistics of deaths caused from 

 poisonous snakes during 1909. As these figures appear to be 

 accurate I shall utilize his work.* 



Table 1. — Distribution by provinces of deaths from poisonous snakes dur- 

 ing 190!) in the Philippines. 



Cagayan 3 Tarlac 6 



Isabela 1 Laguna 3 



Ilocos Norte 18 Batangas 13 



Ilocos Sur 5 Ambos Camarines 1 



La Union 2 Albay 9 



Pangasinan 16 Bohol 2 



Nueva Ecija 6 B'lisamis 1 



It will be seen that 86 deaths were reported in 1909 from 

 the fourteen provinces listed above. It is impossible to believe 



* For the most part it is impossible to make direct quotations from this 

 work, but the statistical facts here set down are extracted therefrom. 



