Austral English / A dictionary of Australasian words, phrases and usages with those aboriginal-Australian and Maori words which have become incorporated in the language, and the commoner scientific words that have had their origin in Australasia

by Edward Ellis Morris

<i>Two-hooded Furina-Snake</i>.

Name applied to a small, venomous snake, <i>Furina bicuculata</i>, McCoy.

1879. F. McCoy, `Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,' Decade iii. pl. 32:

"Furina bicuculata (McCoy). The Two-hooded Furina-snake. . . . This rare and beautiful little snake is a clear example of the genus Furina."

<i>White-lipped-Snake</i>.

Name given to a small venomous species of <i>whip-snake</i>, <i>Hoplocephalus coronoides</i>, Gunth., found in Tasmania and Victoria, and reaching a length of about eighteen inches.

1890. A. H. S. Lucas, `Handbook of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science,' Melbourne, p. 71:

"Whip snakes, <i>H. flagellum</i> and <i>H. coronoides</i>."

<i>Worm-Snake</i>.

Name given to various species of the genus <i>Typhlops</i>, comprising small, non-venomous, smooth, round-bodied snakes, which burrow in warm sandy soil, and feed upon insects such as ants. The eyes are covered over by translucent plates, and the tail scarcely tapering at all, and sometimes having two black spots, gives the animal the appearance of having a head at each end. The commoner forms are the <i>Blackish Worm-Snake</i> (<i>Typhlops nigrescens</i>, Gray), and <i>Schlegel's Worm-Snake</i> (<i>T. polygrammicus</i>, Schlegel).