SILYBUEA SHORTTII. 191 



vertical. Caudal disk flattened in females, convex and ill defined in males, twice or more 

 than twice as long as broad ; each scale of the disk veith two or three strong keels. Scales 

 of the middle of the body in seventeen rows ; ventral shields 168 in a male (S. elliotti, Gray), 

 143-154 in females; the number of the subcaudals, which are divided, varies between seven 

 and twelve, irrespectively of sex. The cu-cumference of the thickest part of the body is one- 

 tenth of the total length. Blackish brown above and below ; a narrow yellowish streak runs 

 from the angle of the mouth along each side of the neck ; sometimes there are irregular 

 small yellowish spots along the sides and on the back ; the lower part of the tail is com- 

 pletely encircled by a yellow band. 



This species attains to a length of 11 inches. All the specimens I have seen are from the 

 Southern Peninsula (from the neighbourhood of Madras and from the Deccan) ; none are 

 from Ceylon, as has been stated by some herpetologists. 



SiLTBUEA BIOATENATA. (Plate XVII. figs. H, H'.) 



Snout obtusely conical ; rostral rounded, very short, shorter than the nasals ; vertical 

 square, its front part, which extends between the frontals, being as large as its hind part ; 

 it is rectangular anteriorly and posteriorly. Fourth upper labial as high as long. Caudal 

 disk fiat, well defined, not much shorter than the tail, terminating in a broad, horny, 

 bicuspid scale which is slightly turned upwards ; each scale composing the caudal disk is 

 provided with one or two or three keels. The body is surrounded by seventeen series of 

 scales on the neck as well as in its middle; ventral shields 135; twelve pairs of subcaudals. 

 The circumference of the thickest (anterior) part of the body is one-eleventh of the total 

 length. Black above and below, each scale on the back with a yellowish margin. A yellow 

 band runs along each side of the body; it corresponds to the joining edges of the fourth 

 and fifth outer series of scales ; anteriorly it is broken up into a series of large spots, 

 posteriorly it flanks the lower part of the tail. Lower parts entirely black. 



A single example of this beautiful species, 9^ inches long, was brought by Colonel Sykes 

 from the Deccan. The specimen is a male, with the tail 8 lines long; it is figured on 

 Plate XVII. of its natural size ; figure H' represents the upper side of the head. 



SiLYBURA SHORTTII. (Plate XVII. fig. G.) 



Silybura shorttii, Beddome, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863, p. 225. pi. 25. fig. 1. 



Snout not conical, rather obtuse in front, depressed ; eye comparatively large ; rostral 

 rounded, short, shorter than the nasal ; vertical hexagonal, its anterior and posterior angles 

 being nearly right ones. Fourth upper labial much longer than high. Caudal disk flat, 

 well defined, not quite twice as long as broad, and not much shorter than the tail, termi- 

 nating in a broad, horny, bicuspid scale. Each scale composing the caudal disk is provided 

 with two or three strong keels. Seventeen rows of scales round the middle of the body ; 



