THE POISONOUS SNAKES OF INDIA. 57 



Surgeon at Shikarpur* (Sind), says, " A reference to police returns 

 will show that in by far the greatest majority of cases serious 

 injury and death have been caused by the bite of this species." 

 Again he avers "the Kuppur is without exception the most deadly 

 poisonous snake in Sind." Mr. Millard has informed me by letter of 

 the case of an attendant in the Bombay Natural History Society's 

 Rooms who, in October 1903, was bitten by an EcMs in the temple. 

 He was taken off at once to hospital, admitted that he felt no fear, 

 but in spite of prompt treatment died 24 hours afterwards. 



In Delhi, in 1897, 1 knew, and many times saw, a famous snake- 

 catcher called Kalian bring his week's bag to the Civil Hospital 

 where he extracted the poison of cobras, kraits and "afais " for the 

 Civil Surgeon (Major Dennys, I. M.S.), who sent it on to the Govern- 

 ment of India. The poison collected, he conveyed his specimens to 

 the Deputy Commissioner for the Government rewards. Each head 

 had to be chopped off, and when later he was counting these out 

 for the satisfaction of an official before payment, one Echis head 

 fastened itself on to his finger. The dose of poison under the 

 circumstances must have been very small nevertheless most alarm- 

 ing symptoms rapidly supervened and Major Dennys told me that 

 when he visited the man that night he expected he would die, so 

 grave was his condition. He, however, recovered. One must not 

 allow oneself to be misguided by the many records in which dogs 

 and other small animals have not succumbed to the bite of this 

 snake, and infer that man would probably be even less effected. 

 One can find numerous instances of small animals not succumbing 

 to the effects of bites of cobras and Russell's vipers, though we 

 know how fatal these poisons usually are. This matter is dealt ' 

 with more fully in Part II (p. 109 et. seq.) 



Dimensions. — Mr. Golan writing from Jodhpore has told me of 

 a specimen measuring 2 feet 6 inches, but anything over 2 feet is 

 unusual. 



Colour. — Various shades from sandy.to dark cedar. A more or 

 less distinct pale sinuous flank line always present. A pale mark 

 on the crown somewhat resembling the imprint of a bird's foot. 

 Belly uniform whitish, or dotted with light brown or dark spots. 



ERISTOCOPHIS MCMAHONI-McMahon's Viper. 



Identification. — The ventral shields are ridged, on either side un- 

 like other species of this group, and this is the best means of diag- 

 nosis (see fig. 37 C). 



• Trans, of the Bomb. Med. and Phys. Soc, Vol III., p. 80. 



