Malayan Peninsula and Islands. 121 



Circumference of the neck, 1|, of the trunk, 2f, of the root of the 

 tail, 1 inch. 



Trigonocephalus sumatranus, (Raffles*) Var. (See pi. XL, Fig. 9.) 

 Syn. — " Ular kapak" of the Malays of the Peninsula. 



Young. — Grass green above, lighter on the sides and lips ; from the 

 pit beneath the eye, over the cheek a cinnamon red line with the upper 

 margin buff ; on each side of the back a series of distant spots, half 

 cinnamon, half buff coloured, each of the two or three scales compos- 

 ing the spots, being of these two colours ; on the tail the spots are con- 

 fluent, forming transversal lines. Beneath light yellowish green. The 

 largest individual in this garb measured 1 ft. 3f inch in length. 



Adult. — Ground colour above light yellow, or pale greenish yellow, 

 largely mixed with intense dull black, so as to make the general appear- 

 ance black, through which the ground-colour appears on the head ;is 

 irregular spots, and a continued line, beneath which a black line pro- 

 ceeds from the eye to the occiput : on the trunk and tail as narrow, 

 distant, transversal bands, continued or broken up into spots. Labials, 

 gulars, the lowest two or three lateral series of scales, and scuta gam- 

 boge with black margins ; scutella largely spotted with black. Iris 

 golden dotted with black and with a black transversal bar, pupil ellip- 

 tical, vertically contracted by the light ; tongue bluish grey. 



Scuta 141 to 147 ; Scutella 42 to 52. 



Habit. — Pinang, Singapore, Malayan Peninsula. 



Unfortunately in the Malayan countries this variety is not of so rare 

 occurrence as the species appears to be in Sumatra. Both are equally 

 dreaded. The natives of Sumatra denominate it " Piichuk," a young, 

 green shoot of a tree, a name expressive both of its colour and arborial 

 habits. The Malays of the Peninsula, who only know the black varie- 

 ty, call it from its broad cordate head the "hatchet-shaped" serpent, 

 " Kapak," or " Kapah" signifying an axe. At Pinang it generally 

 occupies the lower parts of the hills or the valleys, cither on the ground 

 or on trees, but Dr. Montgomerie in one instance observed it at an 

 elevation of 2,200 feet. It preys upon rats, small birds, tree-frogs and 



* Syn.— Seba, II. T. 68, F. 4.— Coluber sumatranus, Raffles, liar Poochook.— Cnphias 

 wagleri, II. Boie. — Tropidolamus, Wagler. — Trigonocephalus wagleri, Schl< • I 

 Habit. — Sumatra. 



