THE PBINCIPAL SPECIES OP POISONOUS SNAKES 97 



Colour yellow-brown or reddish, with more or less distinct dark 

 cross-bands; black spots or 

 small dark bars on the lips; 

 belly yellowish-white; end of 

 tail yellow or black, covered 

 with spiny scales. 



Total length, 850 milli- 

 metres ; tail 150. 



Habitat: Moluccas, New fig. ei.- AcanthcpUs antarcticus (The 

 Guinea, Australia. Death Adder). 



(n) Elapognathus. 



Maxillary bones extending forwards as far as the palatines, 

 with a pair of moderately large grooved poison-fangs; no other 

 maxillary teeth ; mandibular teeth subequal. Eyes moderate, with 

 round pupils ; nasal shield entire. Body cyhndrical ; scales smooth, 

 in 15 rows ; ventrals rounded ; tail moderate ; subcaudals in a 

 single row. 



E. minor. — Colour dark ohve, with a black occipital blotch in 

 the young ; belly yellow or greenish-grey. 



Total length, 460 millimetres ; tail 95. 



Habitat : South-west Australia. 



(o) Rhynchelaps. 



Maxillary bones extending forwards as far as the palatines, 

 with a pair of moderately large grooved poison-fangs, and two 

 small teeth near the posterior extremity of the bone ; anterior 

 mandibular teeth the longest. Head small, not distinct from the 

 neck ; eyes small, with vertically elliptic pupils ; nostril in a single 

 nasal shield. Body short, cylindrical ; scales smooth, in 15 — 17 

 rows. Tail very short ; subcaudals in 2 rows. 



(1) B. bertholdi. — Scales in 15 rows; 112 — 126 ventrals. 



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