COLLECTION OF SNAKES IN THE NILQIRI HILLS. 575 



The vermilion vertebral spots were obolescent in some, faint in others, 

 and bright in others in the anterior part of the body especially. 



Food. — One had swallowed a lizard of the species (lonatodes jerdoni ( ). 



Groxoth. — One measuring 11^ inches was evidently this year's production. 

 Two measuring 25 and 26| inches were obviously last year's progeny. 

 The largest was a $ 47^ inches in length. 



Lipidosis. — The ventrals ranged between 216 and 228, and the subcaudals 

 from 119 to 140. The last ventral as is usual was billdlike the anal. 



Sub-Family Elapin.e. 



The Common Krait — Bungancs cferuleus (Schneider). 



Only 5 examples were acquired and all from the Wynaad, It would 

 appear from this that the species does not ascend these Hills to the same 

 level as in the Western Himalayas where 1 have had specimens up to 

 5,000 feet. 



Selves. — Four were of the § and one of the d" sex. 



Food. — All the three young examples had fed on Typhlops which appear- 

 ed to me to be the species fletcheri. The largest of these Typhlops was 

 5f inches long. 



Growth. — One killed in August measuring 12} inches was this year's 

 hatchling. Two others 16^ and 17^ inches, I think are probably this 

 year's hatchlings also. 



The Cobra — Naia tripudians (Merrem). 



Twelve examples were acquired. These were all light specimens with a 

 well-defined binocellus on the hood conforming to forma iypica. 



Food. — A small example 16-^ inches in length had eaten a young snake 

 of the species Zaocys 7nucosus. 



Groivth. — -Specimens of 14, 14^, 15f and 16 inches were, I think, hatched 

 out this year. 



The Hamadryad — Naia /miifjarus (Schlegel). 



Two young specimens came to hand, both 1 think just hatched, and 

 being encountered together on the same day (between the 25th and 27th 

 of August) probably of the same brood. 



Colour. — They were both as black as an ordinary krait (Bunyarus c(e- 

 ruleus) with very similar pure white bands numbering in one example .32, 

 and in the other 36 on the body, and 12 and 11 respectively on the tail. 

 The head was black with the tip of the snout white, a white transverse 

 band across the prsef rentals, an interrupted, narrow band just behind the 

 eyes from which two white stripes converged backwards where they 

 almost met a similar white oblique stripe on the neck. On the belly 

 plumbeous replaces the black of the dorsum, and this gets darker poste- 

 riorly till beneath the tail, the bands are quite as black below as above. 



Size. — One measured 20f, and the other 20|- inches. 



Lepidosis.—The ventrals in the former were 241, and in the latter 289. 

 The subcaudals in the former were 85, the Ist to 18th, 25th, o7th to 

 40th entire ; in the latter 37, the 1st to ]5th, 19th to 22nd, 29th and 30th 

 entire. The costals are, as I have always found them, 19 over the middle 

 of the hoods, two heads-lengths behind the head 17, at midbody 15. and 

 two head-lengths before the anus 15. The vertebral row is slightly 

 enlarged. 



