9 in. long, but they have been seen 6 or 7 feet
long. This is a favourite food of the natives of King George's Sound.
COLUBER? Native name BARDICK. Dirty olive green over the whole back;
belly dirty white; scuta 130.
The natives state that the bite produces great swelling of the part for a
day or two, and goes off.
Never grows above 14 or 15 inches long. Caught October 1841.
COLUBER. Native name TORKITE or TORKYTE. Back, from the point of the tail
to the point of the nose, dark sepia brown; under the head yellow; and
towards the middle of the belly orange; scales minute; scuta 140; tongue
forked; teeth very minute; no fangs observable. Caught August 30th, 1844.
Not at all dreaded by the natives; venomous, but not deadly, the bite
merely producing a bad ulcer for a day or two.
ELAPS MELANOCEPHALUS. Native name WERR. Dirty olive green on the back,
from the neck to the tail; scuta 147, dirty reddish orange; head black
from the nose to neck; sides of the head white; tongue forked.
Doubtful if poisonous; little dreaded by the natives. Killed October
12th, 1845.
ELAPS. Native name NORN or NORNE. Whole body covered with spear shaped
scales; head shining black; the ground colours of the back rich umber,
almost black; scuta 161, of a dirty red orange; fangs two on each side of
the upper jaw near the lios, small, and bent inwards; tongue forked
This is the most fatal of the New Holland snakes; the animal bitten
seldom recovers.
