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



examines the scales on the throat one frequently sees patches of a beauti- 

 ful Cambridge-blue, owing to the usual yellow pigment seen elsewhere happen- 

 ing to be wanting. Again in the overlapped portions of the dorsal scaling 

 especially in the forebody the colour is seen to be Cambridge-blue, the 

 yellow pigment here also being absent. The flank line too if examined will 

 be seen devoid of blue, and is therefore either quite white, or when pig- 

 mented a bright, pure yellow. 



When the skin is stripped, small white lines from the inside aspect of the 

 skin are seen in echelon, forming chevrons with the apices directed back- 

 wards thus, and these marks 



are found to correspond with the overlapped Cambridge-blue edging of the 

 costal scales. An uninterrupted well-detined white line is also seen on the 

 inside of the skin corresponding to the outwardly visible flank line. Now 

 it is interesting to note further that the beautiful blue referred to is also 

 not due to a pigment. It is to be accounted for by a peculiarity inherent 

 in the skin itself. This on the inner side is heavily impregnated with 

 black pigment, and the colourless, translucent, epithelium covering it reflects 

 the blue of sunlight from its minute particles, whilst absorbing all the other 

 colours. 



Lepidosis. — It is curious that I found that the scale rows which are 15 to 

 well behind midbody, reduce to 11 in males, with one exception. In females 

 however it reduced to 13 only, with the exception of five specimens. 

 The ventrals in the <^ were 172 to 182, and in the $ 170 to 182. The 

 subcaudals in the J were 148 to 170, and in the 2 132 to 144. 



The Brown Whip Snake — Dryophis pulvendentus (Dumeril and Bibron). 



This proves to be a much more uncommon species than I had previously 

 supposed, only two specimens being procured. 



One c? was 54^ inches long, the tail accounting for 22^ inches. The 

 ventrals were 191 and the subcaudals also 191. The 2 example measured 

 571^ inches of which the tail accounted for 23 inches. The ventrals were 

 190, and the subcaudals 181. The tail of a skink probably a Mabuia was 

 found in the stomach. 



As far as 1 am aware this has not previously been reported from the 

 Nilgiri Hills. 



Dentition. — The maxilla supports anteriorly 5 small teeth, followed by 2 

 large and subequal teeth fully twice the length of the preceding. After a 

 gap that would take about 3 teeth, there is a series of 5 to 6 quite small 

 teeth succeeded by 2 large, grooved, subequal, pseudo fangs about thrice 

 the length of the immediately preceding array. The palatine has 9 teeth, 

 and the pterygoid 19 to 22. The mandible has anteriorly 5 teeth progres- 

 sively increasing in length, followed by a gap that would take about 4 teeth, 

 after which there is an array of from lo to I'J small teeth. 



The Golden Tree Snake — Chryyiopelea ornata (Shaw). 



Seven specimens only were received, all of the variety figured in my 

 popular article on this snake. (Vol. xviii, opposite page 228, figures 1 to 

 4.) 



