30 



snout. It is of a brownish ash-colour, with large 

 black spots ranged alternately on either side of its 

 back. The head is triangular, very distinct from 

 the neck, covered with scale-like shields, and with 

 small white lines along the upper lips. The black 

 spots are often almost invisible in the young. 



7. Echis Carinata. A rare snake, found only 

 in Jaffna and the dry portions of the Island. Being 

 seldom seen, only a brief description is necessary. 



A short, brown, round-headed viper, with 

 white festoon markings along the sides ; the apices 

 of which are joined across the back by narrow 

 white lines. The scales are very strongly keeled, 

 and the snake makes a sawing sound by rubbing 

 two portions of its body together, 



8. Callophis TvimaciUatus, Very few specimens 

 of this snake have been found in Ceylon. I 

 obtained two specimens near Matale, and other 

 specimens have been found at Tissamaharama 

 and Trincomalee. Although poisonous thiS snake 

 is so small and slender that the teeth cannot pierce 

 the skin. It is light brown above, with small 

 spots along and on each side of the back. The 

 under-surface is scarlet, with a black band at the 

 beginning and end of the tail, the under-surface of 

 the tail being bright blue. 



Although the recognised poisonous snakes in 

 Ceylon are eight in number. Major Wall mentions 

 one other in his book, " The Poisonous Terrestial 

 Snakes of our British India Dominions " — Ancis- 

 trodon Millardi (Millard's Viper). As it resembles 

 the Ancistrodon Hypnale very closely, this variety 

 has either escaped the notice of the authorities on 

 Eastern snakes, or has been recognised as a 

 variation of the Ancistrodon Hypnale, and not as 

 a separate variety. Trimeresurus Gramineus has 

 also been reported from Ceylon, but its existence 

 in the country is doubtful. It may be mentioned 



