HYDROPHIS ELLIOTI. 377 



number. Six praeanal shields, the outer being much larger than the inner ones. Scales of 

 the young smooth, of the adult with a central tubercle. The young with forty-two blackish 

 cross bands, tapering on the side and extending downwards not quite to the middle of the 

 side; the anterior cross bands are subquadrangular. These bands are separated by very 

 narrow interspaces of the yellowish ground-colour ; a narrow, cuneiform blackish spot, with 

 its point directed upwards, is always intercalated between the lateral ends of two of the cross 

 bands ; sides whitish, with a narrow pale-blackish vertical bar below each of the cross bands. 

 Head uniform blackish olive above, with a whitish supraciliary edge. Tail black, with narrow 

 whitish cross bars. The black dorsal bands become confluent in age, and old specimens are 

 uniformly blackish olive above and whitish below ; scarcely any traces of the light transverse 

 stripes on the neck remain. 



I have examined four specimens of this species, among which are the types of Atiiria 

 ornata and Chitulia inornata ; all are said to be from the Indian Ocean ; the largest is 

 30 inches long, the cleft of the mouth being f inch, the tail 3 inches. We have given three 

 figures of the head of the typical specimen of Chitulia inornata. 



Hydrophis ELLIOTI. (Plate XXV. fig. N.) 



Aturia ornata, var. 2, Gray, Viper. Snakes, p. 45. 



Head rather thick and short, with the snout of moderate length. Body of moderate length, 

 with its anterior pai't not slender. Two pairs of chin-shields, the anterior of which are in 

 contact with each other. The first upper temporal is not much longer than high. Two 

 postoculars ; thirty-five to thirty-seven series of scales round the neck. Ventral shields nearly 

 twice as broad as the scales of the adjoining series, 253-300 in number. Six praeanal shields, 

 the outer being much larger than the inner ones. Scales of the young smooth, of the adult 

 with a central tubercle ; ventral shields with two tubercles. Maxillary with nine closely-set 

 teeth behind the fang. Thirty-eight to forty-one broad blackish-olive bands across the back, 

 rounded on the sides, scarcely extending downwards to the middle of the side of the body, 

 separated by very narrow whitish transverse stripes. The young Avith a series of rounded 

 blackish-olive spots along the lower half of the side, the spots alternating with the cross 

 bands. Head uniform greenish olive in the adult, reticulated with yellow above in the young. 

 All the lower parts and, in the adult, the sides whitish. Tail with narrow yellomsh cross 

 bands. 



This species is distinguished from H. ornata by a shorter head, stouter body, and by the 

 coloration. I have examined four specimens : one male is 49 inches long, tail 5 inches ; 

 another adult, from Siam, is 29 inches long, the tail measuring 2^ inches, the cleft of the 

 mouth f inch. The others are young, from Madras and Ceylon. I have named the species 

 after Walter Elliot, Esq, 



3c 



