502 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XV Til. 



than that between the prefrontal fellows ; about three-fourths the internaso- 

 prsefrontal suture. Prcefrontals : A pair; the suture between them about 

 two-thirds the praefronto-frontal suture ; touching the internasal, nasal, loreal 

 (when present ; if absent the 2nd supralabial), prseocular, supraocular, and 

 frontal. Frontal: Touches 6 shields; the sutures it makes with the supra- 

 oculars one quarter greater than with the parietals, one-third to one-quarter 

 greater than with the prefrontals. Supraoculars : Length about three-quarters 

 the length of frontal ; breadth about half the breadth of the frontal. Nasals : 

 Entire, with the nostril situated rather above, and behind the mid-point of the 

 shield ; touching the 1st and 2nd supralabials. Loreal if present very small, 

 frequently absent being united with the prefrontal. Prwoculars : One ; not 

 reaching the crown. Eye with vertically elliptical pupil. Postoculars : One. 

 Temporals : One, touching the 5th and 6th supralabials. Supralabials: 7 ; the 

 3rd and 4th touching the eye ; 5th, 6th and 7th largest, subequal. Infralabials r 

 5 ; the 5th or 4th and 5th touching the posterior sublinguals ; the 5th 

 largest, broader than the posterior sublinguals, and touching two scales behind. 

 Anterior sublinguals larger than posterior. The 1st infralabial suture one- 

 fifth to one-sixth the suture between the anterior sublinguals. Costals: 2 heads 

 lengths behind head 15, midbody 15, 2 heads lengths before vent 13. In the 

 step from 15 to 13 the 3rd and 4th rows above the ventrals blend. 

 The last row, and the vertebral row are not enlarged. Apical pits are 

 present, and single. Keels absent. Ventrals evenly rounded, broad, the 

 last costal row only being visible in part on either side. Anal divided. 

 Subcaudals, divided. Head depressed, body elongate, cylindrical, tail mode- 

 rate. Colour pale dun brown, nearly uniform dorsally, but if inspected closely 

 the edges of the scales are seen to be lighter. The head has two dark cross 

 bars, one between the eyes, one in the middle of the parietals, and a broader 

 bar nuchally, behind which some specimens have a row or two of transverse 

 spots. Sir H. McMahon says that in life these marks are black, but soon 

 fade in spirit. The belly is dirty whitish, and unspotted. 



Remarks. — It is to be noted that Mr, Boulenger mentions the presence of a 

 small loreal, but in one of the three specimens I examined in the British 

 Museum this shield is absent, and it is absent in both the specimens just 

 received. The ventrals and subcaudals in the five specimens examined by me 

 are as follows :— 



196 + 77, 185 + 81, 196 + 66, 201 ? + 72, 182 + 81. 



This snake is interesting from the point of view of distribution. According 

 to Mr. Boulenger's Catalogue there are 21 known species of Contia. Twelve of 

 these are only known from North America, 1 from South America and 8 from 

 A.sia ; 7 of these are however only known from Persia and further West. The 



* In one specimen before me the costals are aberrant. The 3rd row above the ventrals 

 subdivides, the resulting two rows again coalescing and dividing again. The rows are thus 

 irregular in thj second fourth of the body numbering 17 and 16 in places. 



