540 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVIII. 



Government rewards were paid on an average of 225,721 phoorsas 

 per annum. Later he remarks that when the Government reward 

 was raised tentatively from six pies to two annas per head, 115,921 

 were paid for in 8 days (December 2nd to 18th, 1862). Again Candy 

 in the same issue (page 85) says that in Eatnagiri, in August and 

 September, the Mhars go out with long sticks to which forks are 

 attached, and catch them in thousands for Government rewards. I 

 doubt whether any other snake or perhaps even this one abounds in 

 such prodigious numbers in any other part of India. Vidal shows 

 that in the Districts of Hyderabad (Sind) and Thar and Parkar 

 (Sind) it is also specially numerous. Alcock and Finn reported it 

 common along the line of march to the Persian Frontier when 

 delimiting the Afghan-Baluch boundary. Sir A. H. McMahon tells 

 me that it is common throughout the N.-W. Frontier, extending up 

 the Indus Valley as far as Chilas. He also says it is very common 

 in Baluchistan and Seistan. Mr. C. H. Whitehead writing from 

 Parachinar on our N.-W. Frontier says (at 5,760 feet) it is quite 

 common. Colonel R. Light * reported several casualties from this 

 viper in Bhuj (Cutch), so that it is evidently common there. 

 Fayrer f remarks " it is common in the North-West Provinces, 

 Central Provinces, and generally in the South of India." Jerdon J 

 says it is very common in the Carnatic. Personally I have known 

 it very common about Trichinopoly and Delhi, and met with several 

 specimens in Malakand. 



Description. — Rostral. Touches 6 shields; the rostro-nasal 

 sutures two or three times longer than the rostro-internasals : height 

 about half the breadth. Internasals. A pair of small shields, the 

 fellows in contact. Supraoculars. Usually present, sometimes 

 more or less divided. Nasals. Divided into an anterior and 

 posterior shield or semi-divided ; touching the 1st supralabials ; 

 nostril small, placed in the upper, and posterior part of the nasals. 

 Supralabials. 10 to 12, the 4th largest usually (sometimes the 3rd). 

 Infralabials. 4 (3), the 4th (3rd) largest. Sublinguals. One well deve- 

 loped pair touching 3 or 4 infralabials, andf our scales behind. Costals. 

 Two heads-lengths behind head 23 to 29, midbody 26 to 35, (37 

 Boulenger) two heads-lengths before vent 21 to 27 ; all rows except 



* In Epistola. f Loc. Cit., p. 16. 



I Jourl., Asiat. Soc , Bengal, Vol. XXII., p. 324. 



