Wood Serpents. REPTILES. Tree Serpents. C3 
{He)-petodrijas flagelliformis) is one of the most re- 
markable species of the family The neck of this 
serpent is small, and the body very long. The tail is 
long and slender, one-fourth the length of the body, 
and attenuated like a piece of whip-cord, which it 
further resembles in appearance from the peculiar 
arrangement and form of the scales. It is from this cir- 
cumstance that it has derived its name. The upper part 
of the head and neck, and nearly a third of the body, 
are of a glossy raven-black colour, gradually becoming 
paler as it approaches the tail, which is of a light 
brovvn or tawny colour. The colour, however, varies 
very much, as they have been seen of a cream colour, 
a clay colour, and sometimes almost white, hut always 
raven-black near the head. Catesby was the first to 
describe the Coach-whip Snake. He says : — “ This 
is a very long, slender snake, particularly the hind 
part ; it diminishes gradually to the tail, and from the 
resemblance of a coach-whip has received its name. 
The colour of it is brown ; it is very active and nimble, 
running very swiftly. The}' are inoffensive, yet the 
Indians report (not without gaining many proselytes 
to their silly belief) that they will by a jerk of the tail 
separate a man in two parts.” It is inoffensive in its 
manners, but defends itself with great dexterity when 
attacked, by twining its long body round the enemy. 
Bartram witnessed such a scene, and thus describes it. 
When riding along he observed, he says, “ a large 
hawk on the ground in the middle of the road. When 
coming up near him I found him bound up by a very 
long coach-whip snake, that had wreathed itself several 
times round the hawk’s body, who had but one of its 
wings at liberty. Beholding their struggles a while, I 
alighted off my horse with the intention of parting 
them ; when, on coming up, they mutually agreed to 
separate, each seeking his own safety, probably con- 
sidering me as their common enemy.” According to 
Mr. Holbrook, though in general this serpent is about 
five feet long, individuals are said to occur seven feet 
in length. 
Passing over the next family of Innocuous Serpents, 
the Psammopliidce, which have nothing particularly 
interesting in them, and which muster only about 
eight species in all, we come to — 
Family VII.— THE SPINE-TOOTHED 
SERPENTS {Racliiodontidce). 
This familj' is small in number, but very interesting 
from the peculiar method of dentition or conformation 
of their teeth. Only two species are known, and both 
are natives of Africa. They are almost destitute of 
maxillary teeth, having only from four to seven in 
their mouth, and these, exceedingly small. Their 
throat or gullet, however, is furnished with a series of 
instruments which supply the place of teeth, and are 
admirabl}' contrived for enabling the reptile to take its 
natural food. This consists of the eggs of birds ; and 
the instruments in the throat supplying the place of 
teeth, consist of the inferior spinous processes of the 
seven or eight vertebrae of the neck, the extremities of 
which are capped by a layer of hard cement, and 
penetrate through the upper surface of the gullet. 
Sir Andrew Smith and Professor Owen have both par- 
ticularly pointed out this curious contrivance, and 
wonderful adaptation of means to an end. The latter, 
in his “ Odontography,” observes — “ If the teeth had 
existed of the ordinary form and proportion in the 
maxillary and palatal regions, the egg would have been 
broken as soon as it was seized, and much of its nutri- 
tious contents would have escaped from the lipless 
mouth of the snake in the act of deglutition ; but 
owing to the almost edentulous state of the jaws, the 
egg glides along the exi)anded opening unbroken, and 
it is not till it has reached the gullet, and the closed 
mouth prevents any escape of the nutritious matter, 
that the shell is exposed to instruments adapted for its 
perforation.” 
THE ROUGH SPINE-TOOTH (Dasypeltis scah'd) — fig. 
18 — is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, in the south- 
eastern districts of the colony and in KafSrland, and 
is frequently found concealed under the loose bark of 
Fig. 18. 
The Rough Spine-tooth (Dasypeltis scabra). 
dead trees. Sir Andrew Smith had frequent oppor- 
tunities of seeing this reptile in a living state, and 
found that it subsisted entirely on eggs. After describing 
it at some length, he says : — “ The paucity and small- 
ness of the teeth in the mouth are favourable to the 
passage of the egg, and permit it to progress without 
injury, whereas, were they otherwise, many eggs 
which have vei'y thin shells would be broken before 
they entered the gullet, and the animal in consequence 
would be deprived of its natural food when ivithin its 
reach. The instant the egg is broken by the exertions 
of the animal, the shell is ejected from the mouth, and 
the fluid contents is conveyed onwards to the stomach.” 
Family VIIL— THE TREE SERPENTS 
{Dendropliidce). 
The Tree Serpents are particularly adapted for 
inhabiting the vast forests of hot climates, and are 
more particularly abundant in America and India. 
They usually have a very elongated form, attaining a 
length of four or five feet, and only a thickness of the 
little finger. The tail, being very fine and slender, 
round or flattened underneath, is well calculated for 
assisting these animals to cling to the branches of 
trees, to suspend themselves there while they lie in 
wait for their prey ; while at the same time it seconds 
