Serpents. REFTILKS. Colubiune Serpents. 
G4 
tlie sudden spring which they make upon it, and thus 
enables them to twist themselves round their victim 
and strangle it in its numerous folds. They have in 
general a mild, gentle look, and are usually adorned 
with lively colours, elegantly disposed. The species 
all inhabit the intertropical regions of both hemi- 
spheres. They are very brisk in their movements, 
and climb with extreme agility. They seldom quit 
the forests, where they are always to be met with 
upon the branches of shrubs and trees, reposing them- 
selves amongst the leaves, and lying in wait for the 
small animals upon which they feed, such as birds, 
small saurian reptiles, &c., and which inhabit similar 
situations. They also feed upon mice, frogs, toads, 
&c., to obtain which they are occasionally obliged to 
descend to the ground. 
THE BOOM-SLAHGE [Bucephalus capensis) is the 
only species we have time to mention. It is long and 
slender, with a high, subquadrangular head, very dis- 
tinct from the neck, very large eyes, the body covered 
with elongate, narrow, sti'ong, and keeled scales, and 
the hinder teeth larger than the others, and furrowed. 
In colour it varies very much, and these varieties differ 
greatly in size. It has been well described and 
tigured in several of its varieties by Sir Andrew Smith. 
“ The Boom-slange,” he says, “ is generally found 
upon trees, to which it resorts for the purpose of 
catching birds, upon which it delights to feed. Tlie 
presence of a specimen in a tree is generally soon dis- 
covered by the birds of the neighbourhood, who collect 
around it, and fly to and fro, uttering the most pierc- 
ing cries, until some one more terror-struck than the 
rest actually scans its lips, and almost without resist- 
ance becomes a meal for its enemy. During such a 
proceeding the snake is generally observed with its 
head raised about ten or twelve inches above the 
branch I'ound which its body and tail are entwined, 
with its mouth open and its neck inflated, as if anx- 
iously endeavouring to increase the terror which it 
would almost ajqiear it was aware would sooner or 
later bring within its grasp some one of the feathered 
group. 
We must pass over the remaining four families 
without notice, and hasten on to the consideration of 
the venomous species of Colubrine serpents. 
Ttroup II.— the venomous COLUBRIFORM 
SERPENTS [Elapidce). 
In this second group of true Colubrine serpents, or 
those which have a permanently erect grooved fang 
in front, many are exceedingly interesting, and some 
are even of classic and historic renown. Forty-three 
species have been described by Dr. Gunther in the 
Museum catalogue. 
These serpents, though furnished with venomous 
fangs, and endowed with highly poisonous qualities, 
approach in general outward form so nearly to the 
harmless species, that even an experienced eye has no 
little difficulty in distinguishing them at first sight. 
They differ from the venomous sea-snakes by the 
absence of the flattened tail ; and they cannot be con- 
founded with the Viperine serpents, as they have 
neither the heavy shape, the broad, triangular head, 
the vertical pupil, nor the keeled scales. Their body 
is more slender than either of these two families. 
Their tail is rather short, often conical, or of equal 
thickness throughout, and rounded at the extremity. 
The head, which is generally of the same size and on 
a line with the neck, is small and short, with a thick, 
slightly conical, and most frequently a blunter rounded 
muzzle. The eyes are rather small, sometimes verti- 
cal, and the pupil is round. The scales with which 
the body is covered are numerous, and, with one 
exception, always smooth. The organs constituting 
the poison apparatus are much less developed than in 
the Viperine species ; they do not appear to have the 
power of opening their jaws so wide as these latter 
serpents have, and consequently are not able to ele- 
vate the fangs so much, nor cause such deep and dan- 
gerous wounds. The v'enomous teeth or fangs are 
fixed in the maxillary bone, are less developed, and 
are open on the anterior surface by a groove or furrow, 
which unites the two orifices. 
One of the most important of all the genera con- 
tained in the family is the genus Naja. Though, as 
now constituted, it contains only two s|)ecies, yet these 
are both of great interest, and are well known. One 
of them is a native of India and the large islands in 
the Indian archipelago ; the other of Africa, from 
Egypt to the Cape of Good Hope. 
THE COBRA BE CAPELLO, THE HOODED SNAKE, 
OR SPECTACLE-SNAKE ( Naja tripudians) — represented 
in Plate 5, fig. 5 — is remarkable alike for the ele- 
gance of' its form, the strength of its body, and the 
danger which attends its bite. It derives its name of 
Spectacle-snake from a black mark it has on the exten- 
sible part of the neck, and which gives a more or less 
exact representation of a pair of spectacles, such as 
used to be worn, and were called barnacles. The 
pattern consists of two large eye-shaped spots, white, 
with a black centre and border, and united in front by 
an arched line. It is sometimes very distinct, but at 
others it is not visible at all, or consists of a number of 
black irregular marks. The predominating colour of 
the Cobra is a yellow- ochre with a brownish shade, 
sometimes very clear, at others very dull. The body 
is of rather stout proportions, and the tail, which is not 
very long, is robust and conical towards the extremity. 
The head is pretty large, and not very distinct from 
the body ; the occiput is swollen and broad, and the 
muzzle is rather short and rounded. One of the most 
striking characters, however, shown by this serpent, 
is the power it possesses of expanding the skin of the 
neck and raising it in form of a hood. Hence its 
name of Hooded Snake. This remarkable expansion 
of the skin is a voluntary action, and is quite distinct 
from that inflation which all serpents when irritated 
are more or less capable of. The Cobra is a bold and 
courageous reptile, and as it attains considerable 
dimensions, measuring often from four to six feet in 
length, it becomes a formidable antagonist. When 
suiprised by some imprudent traveller, or irritated and 
roused to anger, it rises on the lower part of its body, 
elevates its head, expands its neck, hisses loudly, and 
by its actions and the bright glance of its eye, evinces 
