REPTILES. 223 



four legs, very short, but still unmistakeable. It was, of 

 course, a lizard of what species I cannot say. But I never 

 ridiculed the Chinese belief in legged snakes after that. 

 There are several other sorts of lizards which I have come 

 across in my wanderings, but I have only seen one more 

 specimen of the kind just named, and that was under a foot 

 in length. 



Snakes are plentiful and of several kinds. I do not 

 mean to enter on a scientific disquisition on them, but only 

 wish to relate the results of my own knowledge. The 

 commonest is the so-called grass snake, very much like its 

 representative in England, but attaining greater length. The 

 biggest I have killed for examination purposes measured 

 seven feet. It is perfectly harmless, and may be found 

 almost everywhere from the paddy field to the hilltop. It 

 swims with consummate ease and grace. Another variety, 

 or rather, I think, two or three other varieties, confine 

 themselves as a rule to the creeks and their banks. These 

 are quite small, and so far as my own observation goes 

 rarely attain the length of more than three feet. These also 

 are quite harmless. I have examined many. The only 

 snake which I have actually seen with fangs here was a sort 

 of viper which I saw immediately after a farmer had killed 

 it in his field close to the then suburbs of Shanghai. The 

 site is now covered with houses. Of this the length was about 

 30 inches. There were the usual viperine signs, the flattened, 

 broad-backed head, the comparatively thick body, and the 

 stumpy tail, with none of the attractiveness which makes 

 the grass snake a thing of beauty. The markings were dark 

 in colour, and there was generally that fat repulsive appear- 

 ance which some of the poisonous snakes possess in such a 

 marked degree. I cut off the head and carried it home. 

 The fangs were well formed and about a third of an inch 

 long. During the year 1900, whilst Shanghai had, amongst 

 the garrison sent here on account of the Boxers, some Indian 

 troops, there was some very interesting correspondence 

 respecting snakes found within half a mile or so of one of 

 the camps. Col. Rundall had no hesitation at all in declar- 

 ing them to be Russell's viper, one of the most venomous 

 serpents known. He ridiculed the notion that the troops 

 had brought them from India in fodder. They had seen 

 three of the little beasts, one three-quarters of a mile from 

 the camp. Another correspondent wrote to say that the 

 snake in question was marked very much like the Russell, 

 and was venomous, but that it was not the Russell but the 

 Htilys Blomhoffi, uncommon near Shanghai though well 

 known farther north. Personally, I have never seen one alive. 

 I have seen specimens of another snake known to the Chinese 



