Venoms: Venomous Animals and Antivenomous Serum-therapeutics. A. Calmette
West and Central Africa.
(8) A. dahomeyensis.—Characters as before. Symphysial shield in contact with the chin-shields. Scales on the body in 31 rows; 240 ventrals; 24 subcaudals.
Colour black above, brown on the belly.
Total length, 490 millimetres; tail 32.
Habitat: Dahomey.
(9) A. micropholis.—Temporal shields small, 2 + 3 or 4; fourth or fifth infralabial larger; scales on the body in 25 rows; 210–215 ventrals; 29–30 subcaudals. Frontal shield slightly longer than broad, much longer than the parietals.
Colour uniform dark brown.
Total length, 330 millimetres; tail 28.
Habitat: Cape Verd.
(10) A. leucomelas.—Characters as before. Frontal one and two-fifths as long as broad, as long as the parietals.
Colour black, with a vertebral white line, occupying one row and two half rows of scales; ventrals and subcaudals white; neck black, head white, with a black spot covering the nasals and upper head-shields.
Total length, 575 millimetres; tail 40.
Habitat: Somaliland.
(11) A. microlepidota.—Characters as before. Scales on the body in 29–37 rows; 212–245 ventrals; 26–37 subcaudals.
Colour uniform dark brown.
Total length, 540 millimetres; tail 45.
Habitat: Central and East Africa.
D.—AUSTRALIA AND THE LARGE ADJACENT ISLANDS.
The Sunda Islands and the whole of Malaysia are rich in poisonous snakes. Those that are found there belong for the most part to species that we have already met with in India or the Malay Peninsula. We shall therefore not describe them again here.
All those that inhabit Australia are included in the great Family Colubridæ and the Subfamily Elapinæ. There are no Viperidæ; but certain genera of poisonous Colubridæ are peculiar to this continent.
These reptiles have been particularly well studied by Gérard Krefft, formerly Director of the Australian Museum at Sydney, from whose work5 we shall borrow a considerable portion of the following notes, and the figures accompanying them.
The genera represented in Australia are:—
| (a) | Ogmodon. |
| (b) | Glyphodon. |
| (c) | Pseudelaps. |
| (d) | Diemenia. |
| (e) | Pseudechis. |
| (f) | Denisonia. |
| (g) | Micropechis. |
| (h) | Hoplocephalus. |
| (i) | Tropidechis. |
| (j) | Notechis. |
| (k) | Rhinhoplocephalus. |
| (l) | Brachyaspis. |
| (m) | Acanthophis. |
| (n) | Elapognathus. |
| (o) | Rhynchelaps. |
| (p) | Furina. |
(a) Ogmodon.
This genus is characterised by the maxillary bones extending forwards as far as the palatines, and bearing, in addition to the poison-fangs, 6–7 grooved teeth. The head is not distinct from the neck; the eyes are very small. The body is cylindrical, and covered with smooth scales in 17 rows. Tail short; subcaudal scales in 2 rows.
O. vitianus.—Snout elongate, pointed; 139–152 ventral scales; 27–38 subcaudals.
Colour dark brown, lighter on the sides; belly brown or white, more or less spotted with black; tail black.
Total length, 360 millimetres; tail 45.
Habitat: Fiji Islands.
Fig. 43.—Skull of Glyphodon tristis (Australian Colubrine). (After G. A. Boulenger, op. cit.)
(b) Glyphodon.
General characters the same; snout rounded; poison-fangs followed, after a wide interspace, by 6 small grooved teeth; anterior mandibular teeth strongly developed (fig. 43). Head and eyes small; pupils round or vertically subelliptic; nostrils pierced between 2 nasal shields. Body cylindrical; scales smooth, in 17 rows; tail short; subcaudals in 2 rows.
G. tristis.—Ventral scales 165–179; subcaudals 38–52.
Colour dark brown; occiput often yellowish, or pale reddish-brown; belly yellow.
Total length, 900 millimetres; tail 125.
Habitat: North-eastern Australia and South-eastern New Guinea.
(c) Pseudelaps.
Maxillaries extending forwards as far as the palatines, with a pair of large grooved poison-fangs, and, after a wide interval, 8–12 small grooved teeth. The anterior mandibular teeth are of large size, almost like fangs. Head hardly distinct from the neck; eyes small, with vertically elliptic pupils. Body cylindrical; scales smooth, in 15–17 rows. Tail moderate or short; subcaudal scales in 2 rows.
(1) P. muelleri.—Scales in 15 rows. Nasal shield divided, in contact with the præocular; 2 + 2 temporals; 139–176 ventral scales; 21–35 subcaudals.
Colour brown, with a light vertebral line; a more or less distinct dark, light-edged streak on each side of the head, passing through the eye; belly yellowish or coral-red; uniform or spotted with black.
Total length, 500 millimetres; tail 70.
Habitat: Moluccas, New Guinea, New Britain.
(2) P. squamulosus.—Scales in 15 rows. Nasal shield divided, in contact with the præocular; 1 + 2 temporals; 170–183 ventrals; 34–52 subcaudals.
Colour brown, with a yellowish streak round the snout and through the eyes to the nape; belly whitish, with confluent black spots forming lines on each side.
Total length, 375 millimetres; tail 55.
Habitat: New South Wales.
(3) P. krefftii (fig. 44).—Nasal shield entire, in contact with the præocular; 1 + 2 temporals; 146–156 ventrals; 26–38 subcaudals.
Colour dark brown, with a light longitudinal line on each scale; a yellowish cross-band on the occiput, connected with another