424 



523. Ancistrodon himalayanus. 



llalys himalayanus, Gunth. Kept. B. I. p. 303, pi. xxiv, fig. A ; 



Stoticxka, J. A. S. B. xxxix, 1870, p. 226; Anders. P. Z. S. 1871, 



p. 106, and 1872, p. 401 ; Fayrer, Thamttoph. pi. xvi ; Theob. Cat. 



p. 225 ; Blanf. Zool. 2nd Yark. Miss., Rept. p. 24. 

 Trigonocephalus blonihoffii (non Boie), Jan, lean. Ophid. 46, pi. v, 



figs. 4, 6. 



Snout hardly turned up, with sharp canthus rostralis ; rostral 

 as deep as broad or a little broader than deep ; a pair of praefrontals, 

 and a pair of internasals in contact with each other ; two post- 

 oculars, upper small, lower descending to below the eye, which it 

 sometimes entirely separates from the labials ; 5 to 7 upper labials, 

 none entering the loreal pit, the penultimate very large, formed by 

 fusion with the lower temporals. Scales sharply keeled, in 21 or 

 23 rows'. Yentrals 144-166 ; anal entire ; subcaudals 35-51 pairs. 

 Brown, with black spots or transverse bands ; sometimes with a 

 light vertebral band with dark festooned borders ; a black, light- 

 edged band from the eye to the angle of the mouth ; lower parts 

 dark brown or variegated with black and white. 



Total length 34 inches. 



Hob. Very common all over the North-western Himalayas, 

 especially between 5000 and 8000 feet, and ascending even to 10,000 

 feet ; also recorded from Sikhim, and specimens in the British 

 Museum are stated to have been collected by Jerdon in the Khasi 

 Hills. 



524. Ancistrodon hypnale. 



Russell t lnd. Serp. ii, pi. xxii. 



? Coluber ncpa, Laur. Syst. Rept. p. 97. 



Cophias hypnale, Merr. Tent. p. 155. 



Trigonocephalus hypnale, Schley. Phys. Serp. ii, p. 550, pi. xx, figs. 6 & 



7 ; Dvm. fy Bibr. Erp. G6n. vii, p. 1498 ; Jaw, Icon. Ophid. 46, 



pi. v, figs. 2, 3. 



Trmiesurus ceylonensis, Gray, Zool. Misc. p. 49. 

 Trigonocephalus zara, Gray, Cat. Sn. p. 15. 

 Hypnale nepa, Cope, Proc. Ac. Philad. 1859, p. 335 ; Giinth. Rept. 



B. I. p. 394 ; Fayrer, Thanatoph. pi. xvii ; Theob. Cat. p. 226. 

 Hypnale affinis, Anders. J.A. S. B. xl, 1871, pt. 2, p. 20. 



Snout more or less turned up at the end, with sharp canthus 

 rostralis ; rostral as deep as broad or deeper than broad ; upper 

 surface of snout covered with small shields, which are often irregu- 

 lar and scale-like ; one or two postoculars and one or two suboculars ; 

 7 or 8 upper labials, second entering the loreal pit, none entering 

 the eye. Scales more or less distinctly keeled, in 17 or 19 rows. 

 Ventrals 140-155 ; anal entire; subcaudals 31-45 pairs. Colora- 

 tion very variable : upper parts brown, yellowish, or greyish, 

 uniform, or with blackish-brown alternating spots or cross bands, 

 frequently with small deep black spots disposed in pairs ; sides of 

 head usually dark brown, edged above with a fine whitish line ; 



