COLLECTION OF SNAKES IN THE NILGIRI HILLS. 571 



Beddom's Tree Snake - Dipsadomorphus nuchalis (Beddome). 



In my paper published in the Records of the Indian Museum (see foot- 

 note to D. ceylonensis I recorded a sequence of 16 examples characterised 

 by costals i^l in midbody, ventrals 234 to 251, and subcaudals 90 to 108. 

 Since then I obtained before this year another example with costals 21, 

 ventrals 244, and subcaudals 108. This year my Nilgiri sojourn furnished 

 42 others with costals 21 (rarely 23, and once 25 in places), ventrals 233 to 

 252, and subcaudals 95 to 111. 1 have now therefore seen 59 examples of 

 a " form " characterised by costals 21 (in places more), ventrals 233 to 

 242 and subcaudals 90 to 111. 



Habitat. — This " form " was most common in the Wynaad, but fairly 

 abundant on the slopes of the other parts of the Nilgiri District. 



Sexes. — Of 25 sexed, 12 were J and 13$ . 



Food. — On five occasions frogs were discovered " in gastro " and three 

 of these were species of Ixalus. Lizards furnished the meal on nine other 

 occasions, Calotes versicolor twice, and Charasia dorsalis once. Two mice 

 and the feathers of a bird were found in one stomach, and a single fled- 

 gling in another. 



Breeding. — No gravid $ was included in the total. 



Groroth. — August and September furnished eight examples from 13 to 

 15f inches in length, July four from 20 to 25f inches, July to September 

 twelve from 28 to 41 inches, and seven from 45 to 50^ inches. These seem 

 to indicate the broods of successive years. My largest S was 50| inches, 

 the largest $ 48f inches. 



Lepidosis. — As in the previous species I noted the tendency for some 

 shields in the vertebral row to disintegrate. In one specimen the scales 

 would be counted as 23 in places, but here the vertebrals were broken up 

 into the three, and the costal rows remained normal. In another there 

 were 23 rows in the anterior, and middle parts of the body, the vertebral 

 splitting in places to make the count 25. Posteriorly the scale rows are 

 consistently 15. 



Dentition. — The maxilla has 14 teeth, followed after a short gap by 2 

 elongate, grooved, pseudo fangs. 



The palatine holds from 6 to 7, the pterygoid 15 to 17, and the mandi- 

 ble 20 to 23. 



Forsten's Tree Snake — Dipsadomorphus forsteni (Dumeril and Bibron). 



Only one specimen and that a small one came to hand. It was captured 

 on Pilloor Estate. This measured 20f inches. The costals were 27 an- 

 teriorly to well behind midbody, and dropped to 17 two heads length be- 

 fore the anus. The ventrals were 260, and the subcaudals 109. 



Dentition. — The maxilla holds 10 to 12 teeth followed after a short gap 

 by 2 elongate, grooved, obliquely-set, pseudo fangs. The palatine has 6 to 

 7 teeth, the pterygoid 9 to 11, and the mandible 17 to 19. 



Perrotet's Whip '^usike^ Drifophis peri'oteti (Dumeril and Bibron). 



An aggregate of 57 specimens were collected, all from altitudes above 

 about 5,000 feet. 



Sexes. — Of 54 specimens sexed, 25 were S and 29 $ . 



The keels are rather more pronounced in males. 



Food. — Frogs and lizards form their staple diet. Of frogs 15 examples 

 contained species of Ixalus (two examples two frogs, and one •xample 

 three frogs). One other had swallowed a frog too digested to recognise. 

 Of lizards toll was taken of species of Lygosoma by six specimens 



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