ELAPS LANGSDORFTI. 93 

 But still more direful he, 



The small close-lurking minister of fate, 

 Whose high concocted venom through the veins 

 A rapid lightning darts, arresting swift 

 The vital current." 



Stedman supposes that this Elaps is the same animal as the small 

 labarra mentioned by Dr. Bancroft, in his History of Guiana, who 

 assures us, that the violence of the poison is so great that it causes 

 death in less than five minutes, accompanied by a discharge of 

 blood through all the natural apertures of the body. The gall of 

 this serpent is used by the natives both internally and externally, 

 as aspecific against its bite.* 



ELAPS LACTEUS.— Milky Elaps. 



SrEC. Char. Body white, marked by double black 

 spots ; head black, with a longitudinal white line ; 

 length eighteen inches. 



Coluber lacteus; Lin.Mus. Adolph.t. 17, f. I; Seba, Thes. ii. t. :S5, f. 2, t. 54, f. 1. 



A native of India and South America ; and is reputed poisonous. 

 The head is ovate, black above, and marked with a longitudinal 

 white line ; body cylindrical, white, marked with double black 

 confluent spots ; abdomen livid or brownish ; tail short and 

 tapering. 



ELAPS LANGSDORFIL— Langsdorfs Elaps. 



Spec. Char. Body black, with minute yellowish ob- 

 long transverse spots ; abdomen yellow, with broad 

 red bands ; length two feet four inches. 



E. Langsdorfii ; Spix el Wagler, Serp. Bras. p. 10, t. 2, f. 1. 



* Narrative of an Expedition to Surinam, ii. p. 133. 



