24 
AUSTRALIAN SNAKES. 
Habit moderately elongate and slender, belly flat, sharply keeled on 
the edges of the ventral scales; some portions of the skin between the scales 
white, others black, as may be best observed when the snake is angry, 
or, in preserved specimens, by stretching the skin. Olive-green, more or 
less bright above, beneath yellow, sides and chin of the same colour. The 
intensity of coloration depends a good deal upon circumstances. Gliding 
along the ground between tufts of grass in the sunshine, or swinging 
from branch to branch in lofty trees, the color of this snake appears to be 
dependent upon the surrounding foliage, as specimens in captivity never 
look so brilliant. The periodical change of the skin has also a good 
deal to do with the brightness of the snake’s coat; and a few days before 
tire skin is cast, all the lively hues have vanished, and a dull olive-brown is 
the prevailing color. 
Young and half-grown Tree Snakes are olive-green above and 
light-brown below; if yellow tints are present, they appear near the 
neck and lower jaw. The eye is rather large, the gape curved, and the 
teeth small and of equal length. There is a row of scales running along 
the back much larger than the side scales, and polygonal in form; the 
outer rows are elongated, narrow, quadrilateral, and very imbricated; 
head shields regular; one anterior and two posterior oculars, and one 
loreal—a scale not often observed in venomous species. When angry, the 
body of this serpent expands in a vertical direction, whilst all venomous 
snakes flatten their necks horizontally. The Green Tree Snake, in a state of 
excitement, is strongly suggestive of one of the popular toys of childhood, 
by the peculiar white marks which become visible when its skin is distended. 
Australian Tree Snakes are harmless creatures, and seldom offer to 
bite, even when handled; they live on frogs, lizards, young birds, and 
perhaps on insects and eggs also; they are probably oviparous; their 
length seldom, if ever, exceeds six feet. 
The geographical range of the present species appears to be very 
wide, and the whole of Australia, except the southern portions of Victoria, 
may be considered its habitat. No specimens have as yet been captured 
in South or South-western Australia; the snake may exist there, however, 
but it is doubtful whether D. punctulata is found in the Pliillipine Islands, 
or in Ceylon, from which localities specimens are on record in the British 
Museum Catalogue, 
