Page:AJWall Indian Snake Poisons.djvu/113

84 CHAPTER III.

Bungarus fasciatus is a snake that has a very wide distribution in India. It is common in Bengal, extends down the Coromandel coast and into Burmah, where it is said to entirely replace its congener, the Bungarus cœruleus. It is also common in Java, the Malayan Peninsula, Penang, Tenasserim, and China. It is of shy, retiring habits, and is not easily irritated. The natives of India are of opinion that it never hisses, but I have several times heard it do so, but very gently. It is not possible to determine what share it contributes to the general mortality from snake-bite. It belongs, of course, to the oolubrine division of snakes, and is easily recognised by the alternate bands of black and yellow that surround its body. The effects of its poison are demonstrated by the following experiments.