182 ' 
ON THE PHYSIOONOMY OF SERPENTS. 
forming an acute angle on the summit of the head. S. 
213 + 34. Length 6 feet. 
2. Bunoarus semifasciatus. — Size a little less than 
the preceding. Bones much less strong. Body surrounded 
with half-rings. Tail more slender and conical. Head 
more depressed; eyes less large. S. 209+46. Tints 
very subject to variation. 
The third and last genus of Colubriform Venomous Ser- 
pents is the 
NAJA. 
They have a more vigorous form than the Elaps or Bun- 
garus ; their trunk is not cylindrical, but thickest towards 
the middle ; their tail is more elongated, and always 
conical ; their adbomen wide and convex ; their neck pos- 
sesses, in a greater or less degree, the faculty of dilata- 
tion, so as to form a disk ; their head is very distinct 
from the trunk, and often very conical ; their eyes are 
large and lateral ; as are the nostrils, which are open ; 
the rostral plate is ordinarily prolonged on the top of the 
muzzle ; the labial plate just before the last, is often of 
an irregular figure ; their scales are almost always lan- 
ceolate, and sometimes also carinated. The Najas in- 
habit hot countries, in the vicinity of the tropics in the 
ancient world. 
1. Naja Tripudians. — This is the celebrated snake of 
which the Indian jugglers make use in the performance 
of their tricks, and which has obtained the name of Sjpec- 
tacle Snake^ because its neck is ornamented with a mark 
having some resemblance to some sorts of that instru- 
ment. The neck is very dilatable. It attains a large 
size. 23 to 31 rows of scales. S. 187+47. Brown 
more or less deep ; sometimes uniform ; at other times 
varied by oblique and narrow bands. Tints very subject 
to variation. Found from Malabar to the Philippines. 
A climatal variety exists in Sumatra, with dark colours ; 
those of Java are almost black ; the tail shorter, and the 
