Malayan Peninsula and Islands. 91 



Circumference of the neck, |-, of the trunk, If, of the root of the 

 tail, f inch. 



The female has G small cylindrical white eggs, each about half an 

 inch in length. 



Tropidonotus schistosus, (Daudin.) 



Syn.— Russell II. PI. 4. Chittee. 

 Coluber schistosus, Daudiu. 

 Tropidonotus schistosus, Schlegel. 

 Tropidonotus rhoestus, Cantor. 



Above blackish olive, some with an indistinct blackish line from be- 

 hind the eye along the side ; the lips, the two lowest series of scales on 

 each side, and the abdominal surface whitish yellow. Iris black with 

 a narrow golden ring ; tongue small, flesh coloured. 



Scuta 138, Scutella 77. 



Var. 



Syn. — Tropidonotus surgens, Cantor. 



Above bright greenish olive, with a black serrated lateral line. 

 Scuta 148, Scutella 23. 



Habit. — Malayan Peninsula. 



Philippines, Tenassarim, Bengal, Madagascar. 

 The shields of the head are short ; there is but a single anterior 

 frontal, of a triangular shape, truncated in front ; the front als are small 

 pentagonal; the nasals nearly equal to the latter; the small semicircu- 

 lar nostrils almost vertical and appearing linear as they are provided 

 with a valvule as in Homalopsis ; from the lower part of the nostril a 

 minute arched groove descends to the inferior margin of the shield ; 

 the frenal is small ; the prae-orbital in length nearly ecpials the three 

 postorbitals. The scales of the trunk are disposed in 1 7 longitudinal 

 series, of which the two lowest on each side are hexagonal, each scale 

 with a minute round protuberance near the apex ; the scales of the 

 next two series present a raised line terminating in a protuberance, 

 but the remaining scales are elongated rhomboidal with truncated, 

 slightly notched points, keeled, imbricate. These marks become in- 

 distinct when the integuments are about to be changed, which proba- 

 bly caused them to escape the notice of Russell. This species is 

 not numerous in Bengal, and apparently less so on the Malayan Penin- 

 sula. The largest individual measured, 



