4 THE POISONOUS SNAKES OP INDIA. 



disturbing Mr. Boulenger's classification, which is the accepted 

 one, I divide them as follows : — 



TAILS NOT MARKEDLY COMPRESSED. 

 (i.e., not flattened like an eel's — see fig. 1 B and 0.) 



FAMILY. 



A— VENTRALS 

 ABSENT. 



Snakes in which the belly 



and back are clothed with 



dentical scales (seeflg. 2). 



'*— VENTRALS 

 NARROW. 



Snakes with the belly 



covered, with transverse plates 



(ventrals) which, however, do 



not extend completely across 



the belly, so that lohen the 



specimen is laid on its back 



the whole of the last costal 



row, or even many costal 



rows, are visible ore each side 



(see figs. 3 and 4). 



C— VENTRALS 

 BROAD. 



Snakes with the belly shields 



stretching so far across as to 



permit only part of the last 



costal row to be seen on each 



side when the specimen is laid 



on its back (see fig. 5) . 



1 Typhlopidae. 



2 Glauconiidse. 



Small blind snakes 

 worm-like, and living 

 beneath the ground. 



HARMLESS. 



3 Boidee. 



4 Ilysiidse. 



5 Uropeltidse. 



6 Xenopeltidse. 



7 ColubridM. 

 {Subfamily Homalop- 



sinse). 



J- HARMLESS. 



INCLUDES HARM- 

 LESS AND POISON- 

 OUS VARIETIES. 



7 Colubridse (except 

 the Sui-families 

 Homalopsinse and 

 Hydrophiinse). 



8 Amblycephalidse. HARMLESS. 



9 ViperidsB. POISONOUS. 



TAILS COMPRESSED. 



{i.e., flattened like an eel's — see fig. 1 A). 

 Sea snakes. Family Colubridse. Subfamily Hydrophiinse. POISONOUS 



Kg. 1. 



o 



B 



C 



A. ^Highly compressed tail typical of the sea snakes ( Hydrophiinse . 

 Poisonous. B. and 0. — Slightly compressed and round tails of landsnakes 

 (including fresh water forms) seen in both harmless and poisonous specie*. 



