ENG-1965 — Page 296

NATURAL HISTORY

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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 or King Cobra, the White-lipped Pit Viper (commonly called 'Bamboo Snake'), and the Mountain Pit Viper-the latter being recorded in Hong Kong for the first time during 1965. The several species of sea snakes found in the waters around Hong Kong are all venomous, but fortunately do not attack bathers.

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 10 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.

Fi

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.

FLORA

It is not possible to make any distinction between the trees of Hong Kong and those of neighbouring southern China. The prin- cipal trees in the Colony are pine, Chinese banyan and camphor. A large number of others have been added since the area came under British administration, the most common being casuarina, eucalyptus and flamboyant. The traditional Chinese belief that the disposition of buildings, graves, trees, water and mountains may affect a person's fortune and destiny has done much to preserve fine groves of trees, mostly camphor, banyans and clumps of bamboo