COLUBER. 
fimilar maculae, mod of which are whitifh in the middle. 
The fcuta are remarkably (mall and narrow, of a white 
colour, with reddidi margins; round'the pofterior edge < 
of the anus, afemicircle of fmall fcales is oblervable. The 
lquamas alfo are final!, and the under part of the tail is 
fingularly variegated white and black, the black in long 
broadifh ftreaks. This fnake pofTeffed great ftrength in 
its body and tail, and often wreathed in fuch a manner 
round the arm of the man who held it by the neck, as to 
numb his hand. But though very adtive and lively, it 
was with difficulty made to bite fowls, and then no.other 
confsquence followed the bite than temporary pain. Up¬ 
on forcing into the open mouth of the fnake the thigh 
(dripped of the feathers) of a living chicken, the fnake, 
tnftead of wounding with his teeth, feemed more difpofed 
to lwallow the bird entire, and, if at liberty, would pro¬ 
bably have done it, after fecuring his prey with his tail; 
for in the prefent cafe he exerted much force on the arm 
of the friakeman, which otherwife would have been em¬ 
ployed in cruffiing the bird. It is a common praftice 
with thofe who go about the country exhibiting l'nakes 
for a (how, to prefent a large fowl to one. of thole called 
rock fnakes, which the reptile deliberately fecures by 
wreathing round the bird’s body, and then very flovvly 
fwaliows the whole, feathers and all. Abdominal fcuta 
252, fub-caudal fquamas 62; total 314. 
183. Pedda poda , var. 2.—The head a little broader than 
the neck, oblong, rounded at the extremity ; above, de- 
prefled ; towards the roftrum fub-comprefled, covered 
partly with numerous laminae, diffirnilar in fize, and of 
various forms-; but the occiput is covered with fmooth 
ovate fcales. The largefc of the laminae is fituated be¬ 
hind the noftrils, of a broad fhield-form, and feparated 
from them by two minute, orbicular laminae at each cor¬ 
ner. The mouth wide, the jaws nearly of equal length, 
the lips thickifh. The teeth regular, reflex, (lender; fume 
of the anterior in the lower jaw thicker and longer tnan 
the others ; a marginal and two palatal rows in the upper 
jaw. The eyes large, oval, prominent, distant from each 
other ; the noftrils fmall, round, feparated by a pair of 
fmall triangular laminae. The trunk round, the fcales 
fmall, fmooth, ovate, imbricate; but two or three rows 
neareft the fcuta, are larger and orbicular. The length 
feven feet two inches and a half; the circumference of 
the thickeft part of the trunk eight inches. The tail 
round, fhort, and tapers to a fharp point.. The colour of 
the head is dark, cineritious, with a deep brown, oblique 
Break behind each eye ; and a large, dark-, fpade-form 
foot, with a narrow ltreak in the middle, on the hind 
head. The neck, trunks and tail, covered univerfally 
with large dark fpots, of various irregular, form', edged 
•With black, on a light-brownifh ground, which is the 
prevalent colour. The fpots on the tail are fomewhat 
lighterthan thofeon the trunk. The fcuta aad fquamas are 
ofaduiky yellow hue. He hidesfurioufly when provoked, 
but without (napping. When forced to bite fowls, the 
wounds were attended with no confequence ; and when 
left at liberty with pigeons or chickens, the fnake f'eems 
intent only on making his efcape. Abdominal fcuta .252, 
fub-caudal fquamae64; total 316. 
184. Pedda poda, var. 3.—The head broader than the 
neA, oblong, depreffed above; from the eyes, contract¬ 
ed, fub-comprefled, very obtufe, or fub-truncate ; covered 
anteriorly, with numerous laminae, various in fhape and 
fize; but the'occiput covered with ovate fmooth fcales. 
The mouth very wide, the jaws nearly of equal length, 
the lips thickifh. The teeth difpofed regularly, reflex, 
fharp ; fome of the foremoft, in the lower jaw, longer than 
the others; in the upper jaw, a marginal and two palatal 
rows. The eyes proportionally of middle ffze, lateral, 
partly covered by the laminae of the orbit, oval protube¬ 
rant. The noftrils on the fide of the roftrum fmall, 
gaping. The trunk covered with fmooth, ovate, imbri¬ 
cate fcales, two rows excepted on the belly, which are 
orbicular. The lcuta are narrow, oblong, acuminate at 
each end -. the fub-caudal fquamss are oval, but likewife 
pointed. Above the. aperture of the anus, on each fide, 
on a line with the laft fcuta but one, is a fmall crooked 
horn or fpur pointing outwards* The length fix feet; 
the circumference, where thickeft, feven inches. The 
tail tapered to a fharp point. The colour univerfally 
whitifh, variegated with large, broad, irregularly fhaped 
brown or dufky fpots, edged with black. A remarkable 
brown Break behind each eye, and a large dark macula 
on the hind head, with a whitifh Break in the middle. 
Abdominal fcuta 256, and fub-caudal fquamse 69; total 
325. This fnake was killed in a gentleman’s liable at 
Vizagapatam, in 1787. The three lalt defcribed, under 
the name of pedda poda, belong to thole commonly, 
by the Europeans in India, called rock fnakes, and are 
not, by the natives,, laid to he venomous. They grow 
to a much larger fize; many being above ten feet long. 
There is a general refemblance between all three; but 
the principal difference is in this one having the fpur, or 
claw, near the anus. The bora, from Bengal, furnifhes 
another inltance of claws fituated near the anus 3 and the 
phyfician general of Madras wrote, in 1788, “ that he 
had feen a l'nake, named Dufiery Pamboo, which had a 
claw on each fide cf the anus, refembling the fpur of a 
cock partridge ; and that the man who fhowed it,affirmed 
the claws were occafionally employed as weapons of of¬ 
fence, which fometimes rendered it necelfary tocut them.’' 
It feems more conlonant to reafon, however, that thefe 
claws are defiined by nature to perform the office of 
holders, during the fexual congrefs; which is found to 
be the cafe with fome fillies, where fecundation is per¬ 
formed by intromiffion of the virile member. See the 
article Chimera, p. 432, of this volume. 
185. Dameen. —The head is broader than the neck, 
broad-ovate, depreffed ; towards the roffrum compreffed, 
covered entirely with leventeen large and feveral fmaller 
laminae. The anterior pair are perforated by the noffrils, 
between which is interpofed a pair broad oval; behind 
thefe a pair confiderably larger, forming together part of 
a circle : the three laminae between the eyes, large, and 
of equal fize : the lateral utricular; the middle fhield- 
form, acuminate: the next.pair (in the ufual place of the 
ferni-cordate laminae) refemble together a pair of woman’s 
Bays; the others are moBly fquare-form. The month is 
’ wide ; the jaws nearly equal in length ; the teeth fmall, 
numerous, reflex; a marginal and two palatal rows in 
the upper jaw. The eyes lateral, diflant, remarkably 
large. The noffrils on the margin of the roffrum very 
fmall. The trunk round, imbricated with large rhom- 
boidal fcales; the tail round, taper, pointed. The co¬ 
lour a dark brown ; and the polterior edge of each fcale, 
being marked with a pencil of black lines, the whole ap¬ 
pears variegated with numerous triangular black fpots, 
regularly difpofed. The fcuta and fquamae were of a 
dufky yellow, with ciliated margins of a dull lead-colour 
forming fo many tranfverfie dufky bands. It is incffeniive 
andharmlefs. Sub-caudal fquamseizo. 
186. Karetta. — This fnake, which is not venomous, 
was found at Hyderabad; but the defcription of it hav¬ 
ing been loft, we can only enumerate it as an additional 
f'pecies. Abdominal fcuta 171, fub-caudal fquamse 41 ; 
total 212. 
187. Naagealled keaka. —The head broader than the 
neck, ovate, depreffed, covered with eleven lamina;, befides 
feveral fmall, fmooth, fcales. The firff lamina, emar- 
ginate ; the pair between the noffrils fmall, fquare-form ; 
the next pair roundifh, and angular; the lateral of 
the three between the eyes, long-oval; the middle one, 
long, fhield-form ; the two polterior, fub-femi-cordate. 
The mouth fmall; the lower jaw fhorter chan the upper. 
Teeth fmall, fharp, reflex; a marginal, and two palatal 
rows, above. The eyes fmall, orbicular; the noftrils 
clofe to the roftrum, fmall, linear. The trunk round, 
nearly of equal thicknefs to within .four inches of the 
anus, covered with clofe, ovate, carinated fcales. Length, 
1 from 
