560 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVI. 



The Black Burrowing Snake — Melanophidium toynadense (Beddome). 



This species is apparently less rare than museum collections would make 

 it appear, I managed to obtain 26 specimens, though the British Museum 

 has only 3 representatives. 



Sexes, — No external diflerences to denote the sex were observed by me. 

 Of 8 sexed, 5 were d' and 3 $ . 



Food. — Earthworms form the exclusive diet, most specimens having frag- 

 ments of these in the stomach. The intestines were loaded with liquid mud. 



breeding. — No gravid female was secured. Young of the year measuring 

 from 5 to 6 1 inches were obtained in July (4), August (2) and September (8). 



Length. — My longest taped 17 inches and was a c?- I had two other 

 males of 16| and 16f inches in length, and a female 16| inches long. 



Colour. — The irregularly-distributed, light, ventral patches were quite 

 white, not yellow as supposed by Boulenger. 



Lepidosis. — The ventrals ranged between 170 and 184, and the sub- 

 caudals between 10 and 13. No sexual diflerences can be established. 



Habitat. — All were captured in the Wynaad. 



Dentition. — There are 8 maxillary teeth. The palatine and pterygoid 

 bones are edentulous. The mandibular teeth number 8. 



Family COLUBRIDM. 

 Sub-family Colubrin^e. 

 The Chequered Water Snake — Tropidonotus piscator (Schneider). 



Forty-three examples of this common snake reached me. Mr. Oakes 

 sent me two from his garden near Ootacamund at 6,300 feet elevation. 

 This is a remarkable altitude to find a denizen of the Indian Plains 

 flourishing. 



Food. — Many had recently fed and in every case a frog had been taken. 

 An Lcalus (Spec?) once, Rana limnocharis three times, (one specimen 

 having devoured four small ones), and in three other examples the frogs 

 were too digested to identify. 



Young. — Three young of the year were obtained in June varying from 

 7f to 8| inches in length, five in July from 9 to 11 inches, eight in August 

 from 91- to 1^1 inches, and two in September from 11 to IH inches. 



Varieties. — All were marked with small, and ill-defined, dark, ehequerings, 

 some being nearly uniform in colouration. In some a pale chequering 

 was more evident than the dark. Several were adorned with a bright 

 pinkish suflusion at the edge of the ventrals, and some with bright rose 

 chequering in the flanks. These bright hues were seen in young of the year, 

 as well as adults, and one young specimen of 7| inches showed a bright 

 canary throat, this hue extending to the sides of the neck. The entozoon 

 Kallicephalus willegi was seen in large clusters in the stomachs of nearly all. 



Beddome's Grass Snake — Tropidonotus beddomi (Gunther). 



This species seems to be equally common throughout the Nilgiris, and the 

 Wynaad,one hundred and fifty-seven specimens having been collected. It will 

 be seen from the synopsis that it inhabits a zone between 3,000 and 7,000 feet. 



Sexes. — Of 123 specimens sexed, 54 were S and 69 $ . 



Food. — Frogs proved the favourite diet, but occasionally small toads 

 were taken. Fifteen examples were found to have swallowed frogs, and 

 twelve of those had feasted on species of Ixalus. On three occasions two 

 Lvalus were found, on one three, and on one four. In other cases the 

 frog was too far digested to identify. In one specimen I found a mass 

 of frocf's eegs, with the prospective mother in a state of dissolution. Once 

 I found a young Bufo melanostictus and once the legs of a toad that was 

 probably the same species. This diet sheds light on the haunts of 



