SNAKES FROM THE KHASI II ILLS, ASSAM. 321 



Food. — One had eaten a frog. 



Breeding. — A juvenile specimen obtained in October was 8| inches 

 long. 



In certain aberrant specimens the supralabials conform to the 

 arrangement usually met with in himalayanus and these are very apt 

 to be confused with this latter species. Subminiatus is, I think, of 

 stouter habit, but perhaps even a practised eye might be misled in 

 this particular. The colour in these examples is of great importance. 

 In all the specimens of subminiatus that I have met with and I have 

 seen many from various altitudes in Burma, one from the plains of 

 Assam (Dibrugarh), and several from the Khasi Hills the vermilion 

 adornment is very distinctive. It forms a broad band behind the 

 orange collar without the intervention of any black, but no chequer- 

 ing on the body. The most conspicuous chequering on the dorsum 

 is of a bright yellow hue, especially anteriorly. This becomes pro- 

 gressively more obscure posteriorly, but is more or less apparent in 

 the entire body length. 



Pseudoxenodon maerops. 



One example, a $, 2 feet 9£ inches long, the tail 6£ inches. Ven- 

 trals 162. Subcaudals 65. Scales anteriorly 19, in midbody a reduc- 

 tion takes place to 17, posteriorly 15. The reduction from 19 to 17 is 

 caused by a coalescence of the 3rd and 4th rows above the ventrals ; 

 the second reduction from 17 to 15 I have omitted to remark 

 upon. If the step from 19 to 17 occurs with constancy in midbody, 

 this snake is, I think, unique among our Indian species. As far as 

 I am aware, in only one other snake of this family does reduction 

 take place at this spot, viz., Zamenis mucositis, many examples of 

 which reduce (in this case from 17 to 16) at or even before the 

 middle of the body. 



Colour-. — This agrees with Boulenger's description (Catalogue, Vol. 

 I., p. 271), except that there is no distinct postocular streak, and the 

 dorsal colour is olive-green with lighter transverse bars most distinct 

 in the posterior part of the body. A pinkish-brown streak occurs at 

 the edge of the ventrals. 



Traehischium monticola. 

 Twenty-eight examples, 13$, 13 9 , 2 not sexed. Seven females 

 are longer than any males. The longest 9 was 10 and the longest 



