THE POISONOUS SNAKES OP INDIA. 



45 



Poison. — Nothing known. 



Dimensions. — About a foot or a little over. 



Colour. — Brown of varying shades and mottlings. A series of 

 ovate dark costal spots are always more or less in evidence. Verj- 

 like hypnale in general appearance. 



LACHESIS MACROLEPIS-The Large-scaled Viper. 



Identification. - 



/fif 



One very distinctive feature makes the recognition 



of this snake a very simple 

 matter. The scales of the 

 last row along the body 

 are smaller than any of 

 the other rows. In all 

 other British Indian snakes 

 the scales in this row are 

 subequal to, or much larger 

 than, those lying above. 



Distribution. — Confined 

 to the Pulney, Shevaroy, 

 and Anamallay Hills of 

 Southern India, where it is 

 plentiful at altitudes vary- 



Fl i. 27. — Laohesis macrolepis (nat. size) 

 ing from 2,000 to 7,000 feet. 



Poison. — Jerdon* knew several cases of bite from this species, 

 but none proved fatal. The Rev. F. Castets has informed me that 

 he once caused a fresh adult to bite a jackal, but the jackal did not 

 seem to mind, and suffered no ill-effects. 



Dimensions. — Grows to 2 feet. 



Colour. — Uniform bright foliage-green above, lighter beneath. 

 A well-defined white or yellow line runs down the flanks. Some- 

 times a blackish supercilium ; blackish marks along the spine, and 

 blackish rings round the tail, but these rapidly fade in spirit. 

 Rarely specimens are met with uniform olive-brown in colour. 



* Journal, Ask.'.;c £oc , Be-i^'ai, Vol- ::::il, p. .",2i 



