FOSSIL SNAKES. About thirty-five species of Tertiary fossil snakes are known, and none of them presents any wide differences from its nearest living allies. They occur mostly in the fresh-water Tertiary deposits of Germany, France, England, and North America. No un doubted snake remains are known older than the Tertiary.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. et Bibron, Bibliography. et Bibron, logic fpcneTale, Suites ft Buffon, vol. vii. (Paris, 1852) ; Jan et Sordelli. Iconographic des ophiai ens, 3 vols. of plates (Milan, 1866-81) ; Boulen ger, Catalogue of Snakes in British Museum (2d ed., London, 1S93-96) ; Cope, Crocodilians, Liz. ards, and Snakes of North America (United States National Washington, 1900) ; Gadow. Amphibia and Reptiles (London and New York, 1900) ; Holbrook, North American Herpetology (Philadelphia, 1842) ; Garman, of North America," in Ra//ctin of Mu seum of Comparative Zoology, vol. xiii. (Cam
bridge, 1888) ; Stejneger, Poisonous Snakes of North. America (United States National i‘lu sewn. Washington. 1893) ; Kreft, Snakes of Aus tralia (Sydney, 1869) ; Fayrer, Thanatophidia of India (London, 1874) ; Ewart. Poisonous Snakes of India. (ib., 1878) Hopley, Snakes (ib., 1882) ; and general works. For fossil snakes, consult Rochhourne, "Revision des ophidiens fossiles," in Nourencs Archives du Naturelle, ser. ii., vol. iii. (Paris, 1880) ; Cope, "Vertehrata of the Tertiary Formations of the West," Report of United States Geological Surrey of the Territories, vol. iii. (Washington, 1883).
See BOA; RATTLESNAKE; VIPER; and other names of the various groups and species of ser pents: also Plates of FOREIGN SERPENTS; AMERICAN HARMLESS SNAKES; BOAS; RATTLESNAKES.