THE POISONOUS SNAKES OF INDIA. 31 



and is now set up, in his residence at Ossidge. I measured it as 

 now set up, but it is stated to have been 7 feet long in life. 



Colour. — Very variable. It may be any shade, from buff or wheat 

 colour to olivaceous, brown, or tarry black and even foliage green 

 (N. Siam). These hues are uniform, or more or less variegated. 

 The hood may be without marks, or adorned with a spectacle-like 

 device, or an oval spot surrounded by an ellipse or various modifica- 

 tions of these. 



NAIA BUNGARUS-The Hamadryad or King Cobra. 



Identification. — A. pair of large shields are in contact with one 

 another, behind the parietals (see Oc, fig. 18), and this alone will 

 serve to distinguish this from every other snake.* Even if the 

 head is badly mutilated I think this feature will be made out. In 

 case, however, the point is dubious, the snake will be known by 

 the existence of the following 2 characters which must co-exist. 

 The shields under the base of the tail are entire, whilst those 

 towards the extremity are divided, and the vertebral row of scales 

 is similar in size and shape to the adjacent rows. 



B 



Pig. 18.— Xaia bungarus (| nat. size). 



* In almost every other snake the parietals are succeeded by small scales, and in 

 the rare exceptions where occipitals are present, they do not touch one another [see 

 Oc, &g. 13). 



