378 COLUBBID.E. 



parietals ; loreal as long as deep or a little deeper than long ; one 

 praeocular, sometimes with a small subociilar below ; two post- 

 oculars; temporals small, 1 + 2; upper labials 7 or 8, fourth 

 entering the eye ; 4 lower labials in contact with the anterior chin- 

 shields ; posterior chin-shields very small. Scales in 29 or 31 

 rows. Ventrals 147-156 ; anal divided ; subcaudals 48-56. 

 Whitish or pale brown above, with dark brown, black-edged 

 elliptical or rhomboidal transverse spots broader than their inter- 

 spaces ; a series of round spots on each side, alternating with the 

 dorsal spots ; head with three dark brown longitudinal bands, 

 confluent between the eyes ; lower parts white, checkered with 

 black. 



Total length 2 feet ; tail 4 inches. 



Hab. A rare snake, hitherto recorded from Bombay, Agra, 

 Bengal, Pegu, and the Province Wellesley. 



Genus FORDONIA, 

 Gray, Zool. Misc. p. 67, 1842. 



Maxillary teeth 7 or 8, followed by two small grooved fangs. 

 Head small, not distinct from neck ; eye very small, with vertically 

 elliptical pupil ; head-shields large ; nostril in an undivided or 

 semidivided nasal ; a single internasal, separating the nasals ; no 

 loreal. Body stout, cylindrical ; scales smooth, in 25 to 29 rows, 

 without apical pits ; ventrals well developed, not keeled ; tail short, 

 subcaudals all or part in two rows. 



A single species. 



470. Fordonia leucobalia. 



Homalopsis leucobalia, Schley. Phys. Serp. ii, p. 345, pi. xiii, tigs. 8 

 & 9 ; Cantor, J. A. S. B. xvi, 1847, p. 949, pi. xl, fig. 5. 



Fordonia unicolor, Gray, Cat. Sn. p. 77 ; Giinth. Rent. B. 1. p. 277 ; 

 Theob. Cat. p. 182. 



Hemiodontus leucobalia, Dum. Sf Bibr. Erp. Gen. vii, p. 884 ; Jan, 

 Icon. Ophid. 28, pi. vi, fig. 1. 



Hemiodontus chalybseus *, Jan, 1. c. pi. vi, fig. 3. 



Fordonia bicolor, Theob. J. Linn. Soc. x, 1868, p. 56; id. C'at.ip. 181. 



Frontal as long as broad or a little longer than broad, longer 

 than its distance from the end of the snout, a little shorter than 

 the parietals; one prae- and two postoculars; temporals 1+3; 

 upper labials 5, third entering the eye ; 3 lower labials in contact 

 with the anterior chin-shields, which are small and a little larger 

 than the posterior. Scales in 25 to 29 rows. Ventrals 130-156, 

 last frequently divided; anal divided; subcaudals 26 to 41. 

 Blackish or brown above, with (F. leucobalia) or without (F. uni- 

 color) lighter spots, or brown with small black spots (F. bicolor), or 

 yellow with black spots ; lower parts yellowish. 



* Founded on a specimen in which the internasal is abnormally absent. 



