40 
LECTURE Vir. 
The most niimerous of all the Linnjean ge- 
nera of Serpents is that of Coluber. It contains a 
mixture of poisonous and harmless Snakes : and 
is distinguished by having the under part of the 
body as far as the tail furnished with broad undi- 
vided plates, while the under part of the tail is 
covered with divided ones. Of the poisonous 
animals of the genus Coluber, one of the most 
remarkable is the C. Naja or Cobra de Capello, 
a native of many parts of India, and not less poi- 
sonous than the Rattle-Snake in America; its co- 
lour is commonly a dull yellow, and it has the 
power, when irritated, of dilating to a great extent 
the skin of the neck, into the form of a large flat- 
tened oval ; this part is marked above by a very 
large patch resembling a pair of spectacles, and 
of a black colour edged with white. There ap- 
pear to be many varieties of this Snake in India*. 
Among the innocent species of Coluber the 
common English Snake may be mentioned as 
an example; a perfectly inoffensive animal, and 
which may even be tamed and rendered do- 
mestic. 
* The common Viper is the only poisonous Snake of this 
genus in our own country. 
