( 212 ) 



Mr. Bernard Meyer has pointed out a remarkable physiological 

 peculiarity in this species and G. hivirgatus. The poison glands 

 exceed one-third of the entire length of the animal. Stoliczka 

 thus describes their course, J. A. S., 1870, part II, p. 212: — 

 " They are somewhat more than one-third the length of the body, 

 running along the ventral side and accompanying laterally the 

 alimentary and respiratory canal. Their anterior half is 

 extremely thin, after which they gradually thicken, terminating 

 in front of the heart with club-shaped ends, being here partially 

 surrounded by the parenchyma of the internal organs. There is 

 a perceptible thickening of the muscles to be observed here, and 

 when seen externally, the body is slightly thicker where the 

 poison glands terminate." 



This remarkable peculiarity has only hitherto been noticed in 

 the above species, intestinalis and hivirgatus. 



C. hivirgatus, Bole, has not been recorded from Indian limits. 

 It is readily known by its immaculate vermilion head, belly, 

 and tail. 



C. annularis, >Giinther. 



Head and neck black above, with a broad yellow (red ?) cross 

 band behind the eyes. Body and tail reddish brown, with 40 

 narrow equidistant black white-edged rings, each a scale broad 

 on the body, but broader on the tail. Belly yellowish, with a 

 black bar between the rings, one scale broad, so that every third 

 ventral is black. 



Type marked from India measures 19 inches. ( Tail 2.) 



C. trimaculatus, Daud. 



Coluber melanurus, Shaw. 

 Colour above light bay, an indistinct line formed by minute 

 brown dots along each row of scales. Upper side of head and 

 neck and a spot below the eye black. Snout with some irregu- 

 lar small narrow yellow spots. A yellow spot on each temporal. 

 A sub-triangular yellow spot on the middle of the neck. Black 

 of the neck edged with yellow behind. Tail marbled with black 



