THE PBINCIPAL SPECIES OF POISONOUS SNAKES 



101 



ViPBRiDiE, on the other hand, are extremely numerous, and 

 belong exclusively to the subfamily Ceotalin^ ; there are no 



VlPBRIN^. 



I.— COLUBEID^.. 

 (a) Elaps. 



(Pig. 65.) 

 The characters of this genus are : Maxillary bones very short, 

 extending beyond the palatines, and bearing a pair of large poison- 



FiG. 65.— Skull of Elaps marcgravii. (AJter G. A. Boulenger, op. cit.) 



fangs; pterygoid teeth few or absent; mandibular teeth all of 

 equal length. No postfrontal bones ; praefrontals meeting, or 

 narrowly separated on the median line. Head small,. not distinct 



