42 VENOMS 



Total length, 640 millimetres; tail 50. 

 Habitat : Malabar. 



All the snakes belonging to the genus Gallophis are remarkable 

 for their bright and varied colours, whence the generic name, which 

 signifies " heatdiful snakes." 



They feed exclusively on other snakes belonging to the Family 

 Galamaridce ; consequently they are not found in regions where 

 CalamaridcB do not occur, as, for instance, in Ceylon. 



They are essentially terrestrial, and live in old tree-trunks, or 

 clefts in rocks. They are sluggish, slow-moving, and chiefly 

 nocturnal. 



As a rule they do not seek either to defend themselves or to bite; 

 consequently fatal accidents caused by them are scarcely known in 

 the case of. human beings. Their venom, however, is very toxic 

 to animals. 



(e) Doliophis. 



This genus exhibits the same characters as Gallophis, except 

 that the poison-glands, instead of being confined to the temporal 

 region, extend a very long way on each side of the body, to about 

 one-third of its length, gradually growing thicker and terminating 

 at the base of the heart. 



It includes four species : — 



(1) D. hivirgatus. — Colour reddish-purple or blacTi on the back, 

 red on the head, tail, and belly. 



Total length, 1,610 millimetres ; tail 190. 



Habitat : Burma, Indo-China, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, 

 and Borneo. 



('2) D. intestinalis. — Brown or black on the back, with darker 

 or lighter longitudinal streaks ; tail red beneath ; belly red, crossed 

 with black streaks. 



Total length, 580 millimetres ; tail 45. 



