OLIGODON. 317 



lower parts piukish, ^^•ith square black spots mostlj^ arranged iu 

 pairs. 



Total length 5 inches ; tail 0"0. 



Hah. Minhla, Burma. Known from a single specimen. 



Genus OLIGODON, 

 Boio, Isis, 1827, p. 519. 



Chai'acters of the preceding genu«, but maxillary teeth fewer 

 still (G to 8), and no pterygoid teeth, the ])alate being entirely 

 edentulous or witli two or three teeth on each ])alatine. (Scales iu 

 15 or 17 rows. 



Distribution. 17 species are known, viz. nine from India and 

 Ceylon, seven from the Malay Archipelago, and one (OUiio'.hn 

 [Ho}iiaJosoma~\ iitelanocqihcdus, Jan) from (Syria and the tSiuaitic 

 Peninsula. 



Syno2)sis of Indian and Ceijloneise Species. 



A. Scales iu 17 rows ; uo loreal shield. 



a. Portion of rostral seen from aboNo as 

 long- as its distance from frontal or a 

 little shorter : latter shield as long' as 



parietals 0, vcnustu^, p. o\ 7. 



h. Portion of rostral seen from above as 

 long as its distance from frontal, ^vhicli 



is shorter than parietals O. Iraviincoricus, j). 318. 



c. Purtidn of rostral seen from above nmch 



shorter than it;- distance from frontal O. a/fhiis, p. 018. 

 1j. Scales in lo rows. 



a. No internasals O. In-ecicaiula, ]). ylU. 



/^ A pair of interna-als. 



a' . A single juKstocular 0, durmUs, p. ol'J. 



//. 'l"wo postoeulars. 

 a". Yentrals not more than lUU: sub- 

 caudals not more than .'Jo. 

 n. Portion of rostral seen from above 

 hardly half as long as its dis- 

 tance from frontal (). tcmpletonii, p. 320. 



(i. Portion of rostral seen from above 

 measuring about two thirds its 



distance from frontal O. sublineatus, p. 320. 



y. Portion of rostral seen from above 

 as long as its distance from 



frontal 0. dlioti, p. 321. 



h" . A'entrals lo8 or more; subcaudals 



more than 35 O. t-ubf/riseus, p. 321. 



386. Oligodon venustus. 



Xenodoa vemisliun, Jcrd. J, A. >S. B. xxii, 18'j3, p. 528. 

 ISimotea venustus, Gilnth. livpt. B. 1. p. 213 ; id. A. 31. K. II. {I) 

 i, 18G8, p. 416 ; Theob. Cat. p. 150. 



Nasal divided ; portion of rostral seen from abo\e as long as 

 its distance from the frontal or a little shorter ; suture between 

 the internasals shorter than that between the praefrontals ; frontal 



