Are dragons "serpents"?

[Elizabeth Dalton]

No: HPFGUIDX 31965

Hi,

I was reading the first task in GoF last night and noticed that as Harry is
trying to get the dragon (a Horntail, I think) to rear up or fly up to chase
him, he *hisses* at it. I don't have the book in front of me, but the passage
goes something like this: --"Come on, chase me," Harry hissed.--

Of course, it could have been just another way of saying "muttered" or
"whispered" or something.

OTOH, on the most notable occasion when Harry was hissing, he was speaking
Parseltongue. And it was right after this line that the dragon reared up and
gave him a shot at the egg. Coincidence?

Dragons are considered serpents in some branches of mythology-- usually the same
branches that consider serpents to be evil. (This dragon is also described as
having "evil eyes.") Though I checked back a couple of pages, and JKR describes
it as a "lizard," but not as a "serpent." JKR ought to know the difference, but
she's been lax on "scientific" details of serpents before (they don't have
eyelids, as a herpetologist pointed out on another list I was on once, and so
can't wink).

Thoughts?

Elizabeth
(who normally hisses only at her cats-- because swearing at them in Cat seems to
get their attention in a way that speaking English does not)