JOURNAL 



OF THE 



BOMBAY 



luteal pistorg Stazitty. 



Vol. XVIII. BOMBAY. f\i . 4 



A POPULAR TREATISE ON THE COMMON INDIAN 



SNAKES. 



Illustrated by Coloured Plates and Diagrams. 



by 



Major F. Wall, I.M.S., C.M.Z.S. 



Part VIII with Plate VIII and Diagram 1. 



(Continued from page 554 of this Volume.) 



The genus Bungarus as considered by Professor Boulenger in his 

 Catalogue* includes but six species. Since the publication of this 

 work he has added another to the list entitled sindanus, and I have 

 added one to which I attached my own name. 



I have for a long time tacitly dissented from Mr. Boulenger's views 

 with re sard to the forms he describes under the name candidus, 

 believing that under that title at least three well marked species 

 are included. To two of these he has conceded the minor rank of 

 " variety " under the names cceruleus and mvlticbictvs. Another 

 very distinct form is that to which Evans and I applied the name 

 magnimaculatv sf and recorded as a variety of cccrxdeus. 



Now all of these forms are very distinctive in colour and markings, 

 are not connected by intermediate forms, inhabit very definite geogra- 

 phical areas, and show differences in lepidosis, so that 1 feel there is 

 every justification for each being recognised as a distinct' species. 



My recent collections in Assam and Darjeeling have further 

 revealed to me the occurrence of two distinct kinds of black krait 

 which hitherto have been included under the title lividus. 



* Snakes in the British Museum, 1893 to 1896. 

 + Journal, Bombay Natural History Society, Vol. XIII., p. 611. 



