COVIIBER, a genus of serpents which, as defined by Linnmus, included an extremely miscellaneous assemblage of species, venomous and not venomous, agreeing only in the character of having a double row of plates on the under side of the tail. The venomous species are now excluded, not only from the genus C., but from the family colubridee, of which it is the type. The serpents of this family are very numerous: it includes, indeed, about one half of all the known serpents in the world. Their geographic dis tribution is very wide, although they chiefly abound in the tropics. Some of them are terrestrial, and some arboreal in their habits. the latter chiefly natives of the tropical parts of Asia and America. A few arc inhabitants of fresh waters, and feed on fish. They are active in the pursuit ,of their prey, some of them feeding chiefly on small birds and quadrupeds, some on insects. They do not kill their prey by constriction, like the boas. Some of them are singularly and brilliantly colored. A few, particularly of the
arboreal species, are remarklible for their extremely lengthened form. None of them grow to a very large size. To this family belong the common ringed snake (natrix tor guatal of England, the only British species. To the genus C. Ujung the black snake (q.v.) of America, and the serpent of 2Esculapius (C. Esculapii), figured by the ancients as an attribute of their god of medicine. It is of a brownish color, and attains the length of 4 or 5 feet. It is found in the center and s. of Europe, is easily tamed, and exhibits the greatest gentleness of manners.
one of the sub-orders of serpents, distinguished from the viperina by being oviparous, and by a different arrangement of teeth and maxillary bones. The C. includes snore than halt' the known species of snakes.