Zoology.-] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. [Reptiles. 



faintness and often slight convulsions, then sickness of the stomach 

 (probably a reflex action from the brain), with trembling and weak- 

 ness in the limbs ; the pupils of the eyes dilated, a tendency to 

 sleep, and then total paralysis and coma immediately preceding 

 death. 



The young of the Tiger Snake are about thirty in number, like 

 the adult in all respects, and brought forth in January. The gene- 

 ral food of the Tiger Snake is composed of frogs, lizards, and mice, 

 &c. On one occasion, however, I put a live mouse into a box in 

 which I had a Tiger Snake, to feed it, and was astonished to find 

 next morning that the mouse had killed the snake by biting the 

 back of its neck, and had eaten some of its flesh. Keeping some 

 of these snakes together in a box, I frequently noticed them bite 

 each other viciously when stirred up, without the poison-fangs pro- 

 ducing any ill effect. 



Explanation of Figures. 



Plate 3. — Fig. 1, view of entire of average specimen, half the natural size. Fig. la, 

 head of same specimen viewed from above when the neck is flattened out, while irritated and 

 preparing to bite, the jet-black skin visible between the separated scales ; showing also the wide 

 nearly pentagonal vertex plate, sub-truncate in front and nearly as wide as long. Fig. 16, under 

 side of same specimen, showing the blue freckling and form of the chin plates. Fig. lc, view 

 from above of same specimen when not irritated, the neck being of the usual undisturbed 

 width, and the scales in contact with each other, so as to hide the black skin exposed in Fig. la. 

 Fig. 1</, side view of same specimen, showing the single nasal plate pierced in the middle by 

 the nostril, the anterior ocular, and the two posterior ocular plates, and the large upper and 

 lower labial plates. Fig. \e, under side of tail, showing the single row of undivided subcaudal 

 plates, the anal plate, and a few of the posterior ventral plates, with the bluish-grey freckled 

 coloring of these parts. Fig. If, side view of portion of same specimen from the middle of 

 the length, natural size, showing the coloring and bands above and the yellow of the under side. 

 Fig. \g, interior of palate, twice the natural size, showing the two long rows of numerous small 

 solid teeth on the palate ; the one large poison-fang on the one side and two on the other, together 

 with the single smaller solid tooth on each side behind the poison fangs at an interval of the 

 width of one labial plate. Fig. lA, side view of termination of tail of same specimen. 



Frederick McCoy. 



[ 14] 



