The group of North American snakes include a large number of Colubrine
snakes and about a score of pit-vipers or rattlesnakes. Among the
Colubrine forms are the water-snakes, the black snakes and coachwhip
snakes of the genus Coluber, the pine-snakes, the king-snakes, the
ring-necked snakes and so on. Besides the rattlesnakes proper, there are
the related copperheads and mocassins. Outside these two families there
are the boa-like and venomous coral-snakes, and the harlequin snake.
There are no snakes in Ireland, nor are they represented in most oceanic
islands such as New Zealand and Iceland. The pythons and boas are
distinctly tropical snakes: the pythons in Africa, India, Malaya,
Australia; the boas in tropical America. Among the most important
venomous snakes of India are the following: the cobra, the Hamadryas,
the Krait, the Sankni, and the sea-snakes.
_AMPHIBIANS_ (_Amphibia_)