NATURAL HISTORY
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Snakes, lizards and frogs are all well represented in Hong Kong. There are also various species of terrapins and turtles, the Common Indian Toad, and the Hong Kong Newt. There is a strong Indian element in this section of the local fauna, although several species are so far known only from Hong Kong. Most of the common snakes are harmless and death from snake-bite is extremely rare. Apart from certain rear-fanged species, not dangerous to man, the venomous land snakes are the Banded Krait, the Many-banded Krait, MacClelland's Coral Snake, the Chinese Cobra, the Hamad- ryad (King Cobra) and the White-lipped Pit Viper commonly called Bamboo Snake. The several species of sea snakes found in the waters around Hong Kong are all venomous, but fortunately these do not attack bathers. The White-lipped Pit Viper or 'Bamboo Snake' and the Indian Python have become scarce in recent years.
The most attractive insects are the butterflies, of which almost 200 species belonging to nine families have been found in Hong Kong. The beautiful and predominantly tropical butterflies, popu- larly known as 'swallow-tails', are often seen on country walks. Of the many moths, two deserve special mention on account of their large size and attractive colouring. One, the magnificent Atlas Moth, has a wing-span of from seven to ten inches, and is one of the largest moths in the world. The other is the Moon Moth, soft silvery green in colour, with a wing-span of from four to six inches and swallow-tailed wings.
Several species of cicadas are well-known during spring and summer for the incessant song of the males in their brief adult stage. Very little is known about the immature nymphal stage of these remarkable insects, which spend years below the surface of the ground. A spectacularly large insect living in ponds is the Giant Water Bug, over three inches in length, which feeds on small fish, frogs, and other aquatic creatures. Of the terrestrial molluscs, the Giant African Snail is a familiar crop pest commonly found among vegetation.
The fish of Hong Kong are of extraordinary diversity and hundreds of different species pass through the markets. Situated just south of the Tropic of Cancer and flanked to the west by the Pearl River, which brings down enormous quantities of food and nutrients from China, the waters of the Colony support a great variety of both tropical and temperate water fishes, many of which give rise to