182 
THE LIVING WORLD. 
pride. In coloring it presents a pleasing contrast between black and old 
gold, the two colors being in transverse and alternate rings.. This reptile is 
not only pleasing in its bright covering but is also curious, in that the body 
does not taper 
WI towards the head 
and tail as in all 
other species that 
rank above worms, 
but retains its cyl¬ 
indrical shape, be¬ 
ing blunt at both 
ends. The length 
of this reptile is 
less than three feet 
and its principal 
food is insects, 
slugs, beetles, 
worms and cater¬ 
pillars. 
The Wart 
Snake ( Acko - 
chorde javanicus) 
is most populous 
about the shores 
of Java, and is 
hunted considera¬ 
bly by the natives 
who consider its 
flesh as most pa¬ 
latable. It differs 
from all other 
ophidia in that 
its diet is said 
to be exclusively 
vegetarian, an opinion supported by every investigation made by those 
who have dissected its body. The head is large, spreading out abruptly 
from the neck, after the manner of poisonous serpents, while the tail begins 
sharply at the vent and quickly 
terminates in a sharp point. The • 
head is ridged, nostrils very close / *** 
together, and the reptile has a 
habit of inflating its body to 
double the natural size, at which 
time the scales are separated and 
the creature appears to be covered 
with tubercles, from whence the 
name is given. It usually grows 
to a length of five feet, and is 
harmless; but its appearance is grotesquely horrid and even awe inspiring. 
WART SNAKE. 
CORAL SNAKE. 
