COLLECTION OF SNAKES IN THE NILGIRI HILLS. o77 



As it attains maturity the light ground colour darkens, till in adult life the 

 whole dorsum is blackish. The stripes — in all cases five — were still indi- 

 cated by interrupted white lines for a variable extent anteriorly, but these 

 became obsolescent, or completely lost posteriorly in many specimens. The 

 belly was a most beautiful rose-pink which viewed through a less appears 

 perfectly smoothly diffused. In young specimens the belly was white or 

 faintly pink, and the intensity of this hue appears to increase with age. 

 In some examples the belly was mottled with blackish tones. 



Lepidosis. — The ventrals in the c? ranged between 230 and 252, and in 

 the 2 from 230 to 239. The subcaudals in the c? were 37 to 44 and in 

 the 2 30 to 36. 



Dentition. — The maxilla supports from 3 to 4 (usually 3) teeth behind the 

 fangs. The palatine teeth number 8 to 11, the pterygoid 5 to 8, and the 

 mandibular 9 to 10. 



Bibron's Coral Snake. — Callophis bibroni (Jan.) 



A solitary specimen of this very rare species was acquired from the 

 Wynaad and that a young one only 8f inches in length. The ventrals were 

 219, and the subcaudals 35. It was flesh coloured with 33 complete black 

 bands on the body and 6 on the tail. These are narrower than the inter- 

 vals costally, but by an expansion vertebrally about the same breadth. 

 There was a broad, white, parieto-occipital band on the head divided mesi- 

 ally by a black line. The head otherwise was black. 



J3oulenger in his Catalogue (Vol. Ill, p. 396) says among other generic 

 features that this genus has no teeth in the maxilla. As a matter of fact 

 he is in error for that remark only applies to the species jnacclellandi. 

 In my skulls of maculiceps and trimaculatus there are 2 to 3 postmaxillary 

 teeth, and in two bibroni that I have examined 1 (dubiously 2). 



Family 9 VIPERIDM. 

 Sub-Family Vipebin^. 

 Russell's Viper. — Vipera russelli (Shaw). 



Twenty-eight specimens were brought in, nearly all young. This is 

 probably due to my asking those collecting not to send in large specimens. 



Food. — No less than ten young of the year were distended with their 

 prey, a mouse being found in the stomach in every case. In five others 

 packs of hair were found in the stomach of the cloaca. 



Growth. — Young of the year were represented by 10 individuals in July, 

 measuring from 9f to 12^ inches, 7 in August varying from 10 to 12| 

 inches, and 2 in September measuring 13J and 13| inches respectively. 



Poifoning .—M.X . Vernede had a cooly woman bitten by a large example 

 judged to be 5 feet in length. In 10 minutes from the casualty she was 

 brought in a comatose state for treatment, and within 15 minutes of the 

 accident was dead. This is a very good example of what frequently 

 occurs. The woman was bitten by a j.oisonous snake, but did not die of 

 snake poisoning. Death from this toxaemia takes many days, often a week. 

 She died of syncope from fright. 



The Saw-scaled Viper. — Echis carinatus (Schneider). 



Only 5 examples were brought in, all from Pilloor Estate. It is evident 

 that this species which is so common in the plains rarely comes above 

 3,000 feet. The markings in all were remarkable for their rusty tones 

 dorsally and ventrally. 



One had swallowed a Scolopendrum. 



