SNAKE-POISON LITERATURE, 19 



idea that the class was distinguished by its vivi- 

 parous habit. As a fact, however, though most of 

 the viperine snakes and many nameless snakes are i 



so, the venomous Colubrine snakes, such as the 

 cobra and ophiophages are oviparous. All sea- 

 snakes, and nearly all the fresh-water snakes, 

 are viviparous, and many tree-snakes are ovo- 

 viviparous. Nicholson says that "the cobra at 

 Bangalore is impregnated about January ; the 

 eggs are hatched in May, and up to the begin- 

 ning of June, as many as nineteen young will be 

 found in s> brood." In Bengal, however, impreg- 

 nation takes place in April or May, and the 

 eggs are hatched in September. I possessed a 

 brood of forty vipers (Daboias). 



Regarding the disagreeable odour which odour oi 

 snakes sometimes have. Weir Mitchell says — 

 " When a rattlesnake is roughly handled, speci- 

 ally about the lower half of its length, a very 

 heavy and decided animal odour is left upon 

 the hands of the observer. If the snake be vio- 

 lently treated, causing it to throw itself into 

 abrupt contortions, then streams of a yellow 

 or dark brown fluid are ejected to the distance 

 of two or three feet. This fluid appears to come 

 from glands alongside of the cloaca. Its odour 



