194 
SNAKES. 
Asia, as well as a part of the extreme south-west of Europe. The best known 
species is the Egyptian sand-snake (Eryx jaculus), which has a length of about 
2 feet, and is an inhabitant of the Ionian Islands, Greece, South-Western and 
Central Asia, and the north of Africa. In colour it is very variable, the upper- 
parts being in some examples pale greyish, reddish, or yellowish brown, ornamented 
either with dark brown or blackish transverse blotches or alternating spots, while 
in other cases the general colour is brown with pale spots. A dark streak runs 
from each eye to the angle of the mouth; the under-parts are either uniform 
white, or white with blackish dots; and there is a more or less distinct dark 
streak along each side of the tail. This species is exceeded in size by the Indian 
sand-snake (E. johni), which attains a length of over a yard, and inhabits the 
plains of North-Western, Central, and Southern India. This snake is generally 
banded, but the young may be of a uniform pale coral-red colour. Although 
resembling the boas in being nocturnal, these, snakes are quite different in their 
mode of life, inhabiting open sandy plains, and feeding on small mammals, lizards, 
and worms. In search of their prey they frequently enter holes and crevices 
among rocks, and they will also burrow in the sand. They are perfectly harmless, 
and generally make no attempt to bite: but they are somewhat unsatisfactory 
creatures in captivity, owing to their habit of lying concealed among the gravel 
