The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-05-01
WATER MoCCAsoN.


birds and those frogs and lizards which also
body S the elegance and rapidity q Their move.
who have had the good fortune to watch them
tain to length Of over Ave feet. They are. fire.
with the
Another set OF t-eo snakes fDipsaO is to be
found In Africa. south Asia. and north Aus Aus;
beasts. or lizards. but some also feed on eggs.
These tree snakes pre- singularly beautiful In
would imply. are the whipsnakes. iDrvopasI
which are also strictly srboreal. but differ from
some tree snakes feed on eggs: but certain
other. serpents arc SO wonderfully modified ior
Of these animals are not. bordertd by any
crack an egg in its mouth most Of It's contents
and be lest In
%nae That he s sss s ~
be Injured BY them. but It must be cracked
:sPs %s:h and slo So erans absent s ths
e.. .Ss q is 0s
the, throat. There a series Of teeth will be felt
nea q I'd HHRy
Where they so prolect into the gnllet, each
egg Which Is anniured a s then when Il
iesc sn$ Sse :l;;,0 4: Tsss the xhos q
speeikss Of this Kind aTe found In Central Ard
TIE Cape cSlonists. The! r euiiet is 50 disten.
cam swallow hens erg Without dienty
an Indian snake of quite dlstinct genus. the
IL @ Be is
both taken IN Bengal. have been found. It at.
tains length Of about three feet.
der are those Colubrne ,venomous snakes.
sh ~ se seses az
m"rsD Of the upper rej aw These Snakes are
the bulk OF those which, inhabit Australia
cosa s es seE Theso a0ts tyPsa
forms; as well rs the Harlequin snakes which
tiles. their bodies being eneircIed by b:ace.
red. and yellow rings. as arc also some OF the
sunses snshos
Their mouths and PHisHn annss are small
~, Three snakes makes; may serys to introduce US to
singer, This is very common in South Africa,
where 1t causes much moro injury to sheep.
dogs and other animals than 1t does to man.
The second kind H. also African. and is called
the shifting snake by the Beers. It is between
two ana three feet long. and. though No big
lacking every one who approaches 1t. In con-
mouth and erecting. its fnngs. from which
drop. and even sometimes to DO forci-
bly, elected. whence the name given 1t
by the Beers. The third animal is the black
snake. which Is common throughout the Aus
tains a length of six foot Its interest for, US
consists in tho fact that whom irritated It
neck, rxpandn. it from side to side: AS an In
dian snake, closely allied to our common
snake. has II kewise the power OF doing. This
leads US to those most dangerous reptiles OF
India and ,Africa-the Cobras. No snakes. not |
with reason. AS the rattlesnake warns the
warn the eve by tho mode in which they
expand the upper part Of the body when irr- |
tated This expansion is produced by n sud-
den movement OF the ribs OF that region OF tho |
body. Usually they incline backward. but tho |
animal. when irritated makes them stand out |
at right angles to the body. and so. OF course. |
forces outward the skin which covers them. |
Thus the neck: or part Just behind the head.
becomes greatly expanded and tlattened: rs
Australian bncksnake.. This expansion is |
called a hood. and SO the animals are called |
hooded snakes In some OF them there is on |
the back Of the hood n dark mark. something |
like a pair OF spectacles and they have there |
fore been called spectacle snakes. |