TEOPIDONOTUS. 349 



Eye moderate, as long as its distance from the nostril in the 

 adult ; rostral just visible from above ; internasals much narrowed 

 anteriorly, subtriangular with the anterior angle truncated, nearly 

 as lojig as the praefroutals ; frontal longer than its distance froui 

 the end of the snout, as long as the parietals ; loreal as long as deep 

 or deeper than long ; one praeocular, three postoculars; temporals 

 1 + 1 or 1 + 2 ; upper labials 8 normally, third, fourth, and fifth 

 entering the eye ; 5 or G lo\\"er labials in contact with the anterior 

 chin-shields, which are shorter than the posterior. (Scales in 19 

 rows, strongly keeled, outer row perfectly smooth. Ventrals 125- 

 IGl ; anal divided ; subcaudals 50-85. Greenish or brownish 

 olive, with black spots or reticulated cross bars intersected by two 

 yellow longitudinal bands which are best marked posteriorly ; prse- 

 and postoculars yellowish ; lower surfaces white, usually with a 

 black spot on each side of each ventral ; nape red during the 

 breeding-season. 



Total length 2 feet 3 inches ; tail 7 inches. 



Hah. A common species all over India and Ceylon, extending to 

 8ind ; specimens were collected by Mr. Davison in the Nilgii-is at 

 an altitude of 5900 feet. Occurs also in Burma and the Malay 

 Peninsula, and in Southern China. 



435. Tropidonotns piscator. 



Russell, hid. Sci-ji. i, pis. XX, xxviii, xxxiii, and ii, \)h. iii, xiv, xv A. 



riydnis piscatiir, >Sthiieid. Hist. Amph. i, p. '247. 



Coluber rectauguliis, Grai/, III. Ind. Zool. ii, pi. Ixxxii, figs. 4-7. 



Tropidonotus pisoator, Boie, Isis, 1827, p. 535. 



Tropidonotus quincuiiciatus, Schle(/. Phys. Svrp. ii, p. •107, pi. xii, 



tigs. 4 & 5; Dum. ^ Bihr. Erp. Gen. vii, p. 592; Giinth. Rept. 



B. I. p. 260 ; Jan, Ico7i. Ophid. Tt, pi. i ; Stolkzha, J. A. S. B. 



xxxix, 1870, pt. 2, ]). 1!I0, and xl, 1^71, pt. 2, p. 4:31, pi. xxvi, 



tig. 1 ; Blanf. J. A. S. B. xxxix, 1870, pt. 2, p. 371 ; Thcob. Cat. 



p. 175; Anders. An. Zool. Res. Yunnan, p. 821 ; Murray, Zool. 



Sind, p. 379. 

 Trojiidonutu.s unibratus, ScMey. t. c. p. 309 ; Cantor, J. A. <S'. B. xvi, 



L->47, p. 030. 

 Tropidouotus tytluri, Bh/fh, J. A. <S'. B. xxxii, 1803, p. 88. 

 Tropidouotus striolatus, T/icoIj. Cat. Rept. As. Sac. Mns. 1868, 



p. 00. 



Eye rather small, shorter than its distance from the nostril in 

 the adult ; rosti-al visible from above : internasals much narrowed 

 anteriorly, subtriangular with the anterior angle truncated, as long 

 as the pi'a^frontals ; frontal longer than its distance from the end 

 of the snout, as long as the parietals or a little shorter ; loreal 

 nearly as long as deep ; one prseocular ; three (rarely four) post- 

 oculars ; temporals 2-}-2 or 2-|-3 ; upper labials 9 normally, fourth 

 and fifth entering the eye ; 5 lower labials in contact with the 

 anterior chin- shields, which are shorter than the posterior. Scales 

 in 19 rows, strongly keeled, outer rows smooth. Ventrals 125- 

 158; anal divided; subcaudals 64-90. Coloration very variable, 



