252 



UROPELTIDvE. 



Distribution. This family is restricted to the mountains o£ Ceylon 

 and those of Peninsular India, from the Bombay hills on the west 

 and the Jeypore ( Vizagapatam) hills on the east, southwards, or to 

 the heavy forests at the immediate foot of the mountains. 



jam 



M / 



jjm 



Fig. 79. — Skull of Sili/bura grandis. 



The Uropeltidce are burrowing reptiles, hence the name " Earth- 

 snakes " by which they are generally known ; they are often 

 dug up about coffee- and tea-estates. Colonel Beddome, to \^hom 

 science is indebted for the discovery of the great majority of the 

 known species, obtained most of his specimens from under logs and 

 large stones in the forests ; but some are also found on the grass- 

 land at high elevations, and during the rainy season individuals 

 are not unfrequeutly found about the roads. They are ovovivi- 

 parous, and live almost entirely upon earth-worms. Many are 

 beautifully coloured with red and yellow A\hen alive ; and the 

 black forms are remarkable for their iridescence, which is only 

 equalled by that of Xeno_peltis unicolor and some smooth-scaled 

 Sciuks. 



The following names in Jerdon's Catalogue (J. A. S. B. xxii, 

 1854, p. 527) refer, in all probability, to snakes of this family ; 

 but the definition of these species renders their recognition 

 impossible, and deprives such names, in tlie absence of type 

 s])ecimeus, of any possible claim to priority : — 



Ci/Ui)(Irop7iis curticej)s., Ci/liin/roj'Ms mcicroscelis, Pilidioii ? rnon- 

 lainriu, {Tro/)i']fi<; ajfims, Xt'iiopdtis'! Iriviniatu^, AH from the 

 Nilgiris. 



