252 



UROPELTID.E. 



Distribution. This family is restricted to the mountains of Ceylon 

 and those of Peninsular India, from the Bombay hills on the west 

 and the Jeypore ( Vizagapatam) hills on the east, southwards, or to 

 the heavy forests at the immediate foot of the mountains. 



f>m 



Fig. 79. Skull of Silybura grandis. 

 A. Upper view. B. Side view. 



ar. Articular. 

 bo. Basioccipital. 

 bp. Basisphenoid. 

 cor. Coronoid. 

 d. Dentary. 

 eo. Exoccipital. 



/. Frontal. 

 m. Maxillar)-. 

 n. Nasal. 

 p. Parietal. 

 pt. Pterygoid. 

 pm. PraemaxDlary. 



prf. Prsefrontal. 



pro. Prootic. 



q. Quadrate. 



so. Supraoccipital. 



sp. Splenial. 



tp. Transpalatine. 



The Uropeltidce are burrowing reptiles, hence the name " Earth- 

 snakes " by which they are generally known ; they are often 

 dug up about coffee- and tea-estates. Colonel Beddome, to whom 

 science is indebted for the discovery of the great majority of the 

 known species, obtained most of his specimens from under logs and 

 large stones in the forests ; but some are also found on the grass- 

 land at high elevations, and during the rainy season individuals 

 are not unfrequeutly found about the roads. They are ovovivi- 

 parous, and live almost entirely upon earth-worms. Many are 

 beautifully coloured with red and yellow Avhen alive ; and the 

 black forms are remarkable for their iridescence, which is only 

 equalled by that of Xenopeltis unicolor and some smooth-scaled 

 Scinks. 



The following names in Jerdon's Catalogue (J. A. 8. B. xxii, 

 1854, p. 527) refer, in all probability, to snakes of this family ; 

 but the definition of these species renders their recognition 

 impossible, and deprives such names, in the absence of type 

 specimens, of any possible claim to priority : 



CyUndrophi* curticeps, Cylimlrophis macroscelis, Pilidion ? mon- 

 tnmim, Uropeltist affinis, Xenopeltis? trivirgatw. All from the 

 Nilgiris. 



