Page:The poisonous snakes of India. For the use of the officials and others residing in the Indian Empire (IA poisonoussnakeso01ewar).pdf/41

 BUNGARUS CERULEUS.

This species is the krait of India. It is the "Gedi Paragoodoo" of Russell; the "Dhomun Chiti" (Bengal). Günther describes this snake as follows: "The first temporal shield is considerally longer than high. Ventrals, 201-221; sub-caudals, 38-56. Lower parts uniform white; upper parts bluish or brownish-black, uniform, or with more or less numerous very narrow white cross streaks, not quite as broad as a scale, and generally radiating from a white vertebral spot. No collar."

Varieties.-"a. Upper parts uniform blackish-brown; B. lividus, Cautor from Assam. In young specimens the head is white, with a black line between the occipitals.

"B. A vertebral series of equi-distant white spots, from which narrow transverse streaks proceed. "G

y. Upper parts with narrow white streaks arranged in pairs: B. arcuatus, Dum. and Bib."

It varies in size from two fect to four feet and a half. The fangs are smaller than those of the cobra. I have seen it in the North-West, Rajputana, Guzerat, Deccan, and Madras. It is found in fields, huts, houses, in bookcases, ledges of windows, and venetians. Fayrer mentions an instance "where, after a night's dâk in a palanquin, a lady, in taking out her things on arriving at her destination, found a krait coiled up under her pillow; it had been her travelling companion all night." It is often mistaken for the Lycodon aulicus, which is an innocent snake. In the krait, the hexagonal scales on back, and its fangs are sufficient to distinguish it from the Lycodon aulicus.