424 REPTILIA— ORDER III.—SQUAMATA. 



Proteroglypha. The essential feature of that section is to be found in the 

 circumstance that it is the front, instead of the hinder, upper maxillary teeth 

 that are grooved for the transmission of the poisonous secretion. Needless 

 to say, all are venomous — some highly so. The genus in which the 

 coral-snake is included comprises many other species, of which the majority 

 inhabit the warmer parts of America, although a few are found in 

 Southern Africa. They typify a sub-family (Elapiiue) in which the tail 

 has a eylindrioal form, and all the members of which live either on 

 the ground or in trees. The coral-snake, which grows to rather more 

 than a couple of feet in length, is easily recognised by its brilliant colora- 

 tion, the whole body and tail being divided into a number of segments 

 of cinnabar-red, separated by shorter segments of black, with indistinct 

 borders of greenish - white. The coral - snake, which frequents wooded 

 districts, is a strictly terrestrial species, feeding upon other reptiles and 

 insects. Nearly allied are the resplendent adders (Gallophis) of the warmer 

 parts of Asia, distinguished by the presence of a groove traversing the whole 

 front surface of the upper fangs, and likewise by the scales forming thirteen 

 rows. These slender snakes are generally found in rocky districts. 



The dreaded crait (Bungartis cceruleus), and its relative the banded adder, 

 or raj-samp (B. fasciatus), are well-known Indian representatives of a geiius 

 whose geographical range extends from India and Ceylon to the south of 

 China. From Callophis, in which all the teeth behind the fangs are chan- 

 nelled, this genus differs in that from one to three of the same teeth are solid 

 throughout ; a connecting link being formed by the genus Hemibungaims, in 

 which there is one unperforated tooth in the hinder portion of each side of 

 the upper jaw. Although the banded adder is larger than the crait, it does 

 not appear to be so fatal to human life in India as the 

 latter, owing to the circumstance that it mainly keeps to 

 the open country.' The crait, on the other hand, is one of 

 the snakes most commonly met with in human dwellings, 

 where it is fond of hiding in all kinds of unsuspected 

 places. In colour, the crait is very dark brown above, 

 marked with narrow rings, bars, or streaks of white. 



Whereas the crait and its immediate allies have the head 

 passing imperceptibly into the neck, and lack the power 

 of inflating the latter, the cobras (Naia) possess a dis- 

 tinctly defined neck, the lower part of which can be dilated 

 at will ; while they further differ by the equality in the 

 size of the scales of the back with those of other parts. 

 Cobras are represented by half a score of species, some of 

 which are Oriental, while the others are African ; the best 

 Fia 24 —Indian l^no^n being the Egyptian asp (N. hate) and the common 

 Cobra fJVaia. Indian cobra (N. tnpudians). The latter is familiar as 



tripudians). being the species commonly exhibited by Indian snake- 



charmers, and as it has been described in so many popular 

 works, while newspapers are always giving accounts of its ravages, nothing 

 in the way of description need be given in this place. Ordinarily this species 

 does not exceed six feet in length ; but Capt. F. Hawkins writes in the Asian 

 newspaper of August 5th, 1892, that in Sangor a specimen was killed measurmg 

 seven feet three inches. The giant cobra {N. bungarns) of the Oriental 

 countries is, however, a considerably larger species. Mr. P. A. Bulkley, 

 writing from Burma, observes that "it may interest your readers to know 



