1046 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVI. 



No. XIV.— A 17 SCALE KRAIT (BUNGARUS CAERULEUS) 



FROM BANGALORE. 



I have just examined a very unusual specimen of the common krait. It is 

 a juvenile example measuring 1 foot 8j inches. Tail 2^ inches. In this 

 the scale rows instead of coming to 15 at or near the neck, remain 17 (or 

 16) for llf inches behind the snout. I have carefully studied the lepi- 

 dosis and find on the left side there are 8 rows of costals below the verte- 

 bral, until a point 11| inches from the snout. Here the 4th and 5th rows 

 above the ventrals fuse and become 7 to the vent. At points 3|, 5f, and 

 6| inches from the snout the 3rd and 4th, or 4th and 5th rows above the 

 ventrals fuse, reducing the count to 7, but at each spot 3 scales later the 

 4th row subdivides to re-establish 8 rows. On the right side the costals 

 are 8 to llf inches behind the snout. At this point they become 7 by a 

 fusion of the 4th and 5th rows above the ventrals and remain so to the 

 vent. At points 4, 7\ and 11^ inches from the snout by a similar fusion 

 the rows come to 7, but 3 scales later by a division of the 4th row, 8 costals 

 are re-established. In this Journal (Vol. XXII, p. 402) I remarked upon 

 two kraits from Jhelum, and Sholapur which I considered of the species 

 caeruleus, and which showed a similar unusual departure from the 

 normal. In both of these there were 17 scale rows in the entire body 

 length. It occasionally happens that one sees an individual with a scale in 

 the vertebral row here and there divided so as to bring the count to 17 at 

 this particular spot. Prater has recorded such an example in this Journal 

 recently (Vol. XXVI, p. 684). This aberration however is a very different 

 one from that in which the costals exhibit a supernumerary row. 



The specimen I have just remarked upon has the vertebrals as broad as 

 in normal 15 scale kraits, and appears by colouration, and other features to 

 be a caeruleus, and not a sindanus. 



The arguments in favour of uniting caerulew, and sindanus under the 

 former title, are becoming steadily more forcible. 



F. WALL, 



LlEUT.-CoLONEL, I. M.S. 



Bangalore, 1st August 1919. 



No. XV.— EARLY OCCURRENCE OF THE PAINTED LADY ( VANESSA 

 CARDUI, L.J IN THE DARBHANGA DISTRICT, BEHAR. 



While going round my work this morning I saw a Painted Lady 

 (F. cardui L.). It settled about a couple of feet in front of me, and then 

 flew off for a short distance, settling again. I again went up to within 

 a couple of feetof itto make sure of its identity. This species is not uncom- 

 mon here from the beginning of March to the first few days of April. I have 

 got specimens from the first of the former month up to the 4th of the 

 latter one, but they seem commonest after the middle of March. I 

 have not seen them here at any other time. 



CHAS. M. INGLIS, m.b.o.u. 



Baghownie Fty., Laheria Sarai, 

 \itn October 1919. 



