Harlequin Snake — Part 3

Elaps fulvius (Linn.)

When feeding, this snake displays a ferocity and snappiness of motion quite contrary to its generally sluggish disposition. If the prey be a snake, it is quickly seized by the neck or body and the fangs advanced in a series of chewing movements. At the beginning, this operation injects considerable venom and prepares the prey for the swallowing process. Working its fangs along the body of the fated creature, the snake shifts its victim into a position whence it may be swallowed head first. Frequently the quarry defends itself vigorously, biting the body of its foe and twisting itself about in a manner calculated to worry the enemy and release the grip of the relentless jaws. To these struggles, the poisonous snake pays little attention unless they become especially energetic, when it makes another series of wounds with the fangs, biting with a jerky, side movement, with the evident view of imbedding the venom-conducting teeth as deeply as possible. The fight is of short duration, for the prey is soon benumbed, when the limp body is engulfed at leisure.

The Coral Snake is oviparous. Its eggs are very elongate and are deposited in decaying bark or damp soil. A large specimen in the writer's collection laid seven eggs on the 29th of June. One of them was opened and found to contain a translucent embryo about two inches in length. The remainder were placed in damp wood pulp in the temperature of an ordinary livingroom. From the batch another was opened on the 6th of August. It contained a white and perfectly formed embryo, 5 1/4 inches long, showing the scalation to be well formed, but without trace of pattern. The specimen was translucent and when held to the light, the heart, performing its pulsations, could be clearly seen. The five remaining eggs hatched between the 26th and 28th of September. The young were about 7 inches long and one-eighth of an inch in thickness. They were very active, and when removed from the hatching tray with a pair of forceps, grasped the steel tips in an endeavour to use their diminutive fangs.