Most of the Indian specimens are of a green colour, uniform, or irregularly spotted and banded with dark green or brown ; whilst in African species the ground colour is greyish, olive, yellowish, or brownish. This, however, does not appear to amount to a specific difference. In the Peninsula of India and northern parts of Ceylon it attains to a length of 10 inches, the tail taking more than one-half.
The Ophidia comprise the order of Snakes. There is no sharp boundary line between the order of saurians and that of snakes. Certain ophidians remind us, by several chamcters, of the saurian type; such as the snakes forming the first four families, which are distinguished by polished, closely -adherent, rounded, sub-equal scales, much resembling the smooth scales of sonic scineoids. A peculiar mobility of the jaw-bones enables snakes to extend the gape in an extra ordinary degree, and to work their prey down through the collapsed pharynx. The Pythonidso and Erycidm have rudiments of hind limbs. Generally the snakes are provided with nurnerows teeth, which are elongate, conical, thin, and pointed like a needle, and more or less bent backwanbs. Non-venomous snakes' teeth are either entirely smooth, or only the last of the maxillary series is provided with a faint longitudinal groove, which is not intended to convey a poiaonous saliva into a wound, as the saliva of these snakes has never been proved to be poisonous ; the groove appears to increase the strength of the tooth. The poisonous snakes are armed with a long canalicu lated tooth in front of the upper jaw; the channel terminates in a small slit at the extremity of the tooth, and is in connection with a duct which carries the poisonous fluid from a large gland to the tooth. At the moment the snake opens its mouth to bite, these muscles compress the gland, and force its contents through the excretory duct into the channel of the venom-booth, whence it is injected into the wound. The structure of the venom-tooth is not the same in all poisonous snakes ; in some it is fixed to the maxillary bone, which is as long, or nearly as long, as in the non venomous snakes, and generally bears one or more ordinary teeth on its hinder portion. Tho poisonous snakes with such a dentition have externally a more or less striking resernblance to the non-venomous serpents, and on this account they are designated as venomous colubrine snakes, forming the second sub-order of snakes (cobra, bungarum, sea - snakes, ete.). In the other venornous snakes, the third sub-order, the maxillary bone is extremely short, and does not bear any teeth except an exceedingly long fang, with a perfectly closed, externally invisible, channel in its interior. Although this tooth also is fixed to the-bone, the bone itself is very mobile, so that the tooth, which is laid backwards when at rest, can be erected the moment the animal pre pares to strike. This tooth, like all the other teeth, is not only occasionally lost, but appears to be shed at regular intervals. The greater part of the snakes are oviparous, the eggs having an oblong form, and a soft, leathery shell. The pythons alone incubate their eggs, whilst all the other oviparous snakes leave them to the heat of the place where they have been deposited. Other
snakes (the fresh-water and poisonous species) aro viviparous, the embryos being developed in the oviduct of the mother. There may be distal guislied— Burrowing snakes, living under ground, only occasionally appearing above the surface.
Ground snakes live above ground, and only occasionally climb bushes or enter the water.
Tree snakes, or species passing the greater part of their life on bushes and trees, which they climb with the greatest facility.
Fresh-water snakes, distinguished by the posi tion of the nostrils, which are placed on the top of the snout, and by a tapering tail. They inhabit fresh waters, and are excellent swimmers and divers.
Sea-snakes, distinguished by a strongly com pressed tail, and by the position of the nostrils, _ _ which are placed as in the last group. They live in the sea only, occasionally approaching the land, feed on marine fish, are viviparous and venomous.
Tropical India surpasses every other part of the globe in the number of ophidian forms.
The degree of danger from a bite by a poison ous snake depends but little on the species which has iaflicted the wound, but rather on the bulk of the individual, on the quantity of its poison, on the temperature, and on the place of the wound. If a large blood-vessel be pierced by the fang, the poison is carried instantaneously into the mass of the blood, and sudden death is almost always the result. Although it is always possible to recog nise the venomous nature of a snake from external characters only, yet this requires such a know ledge of snakes as can be attained only by a special study of them. The wound itself speaks for or against the venomous nature of a snake which has bitten. When there are numerous punctured wounds disposed in two lines, the snake is not poisonous. If the wound is on some part of the hand, arm, or foot, one or two ligatures should be made as tightly as possible at a short distance above the wound, to prevent the absorption of the poison. The ligature is left until the proper means are taken to destroy the virus in the wound, a,nd until medicine is taken internally, or until great pain or swelling necessitate its removal. Punctured wounds should be enlarged by incisions at least as deep as the wounds, to cause a free efflux of the poisoned blood, and to facilitate its removal by sucking. The wounds should be sucked either by the patient himself or by another person whose mouth is free from any abrasion or wound ; cupping-glasses answer the same pur pose in ca.ses where they can be applied. The wound should be washed with ammonia, and its vicinity rubbed with it. Cauterization with a red-hot iron, or with sulphuric acid, butter of antimony, nitrate of silver, etc., a,re of great advantage, if done before the virus has spread far beyonel the place of the bite. Internally, ananoma should be taken in large doses,—one, two, or three wine-glasses of the eau-de-luce. Brandy may be taken at short intervals. Dr. Shortt believes that ammonia is useless, and has strong faith in liquor potassx. To prevent a complete collapse, it is necessary to use these strong excitants, and to repeat them until the alarming symptoms are allayed. It would be a great risk in such a case to trust to the remedies of a snake-charmer.