DETOPHIS. 367 



hardly half as long as the praefrontals, which are only a little 

 shorter than the frontal ; the latter shield very narrow, shorter than 

 its distance from the end of the snout, a little shorter than the 

 parietals ; loreal slightly more than twice as long as deep ; praj- 

 ocular single, not extending to the frontal ; two postoculars ; tem- 

 porals 2 + 3 ; upper labials 8, fourth and fifth entering the eye ; 5 

 lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields, which are as 

 long as the posterior. Scales in 17 rows. Olive above; head with 

 symmetrical undulating black lines ; scales on the vertebral line 

 with broad black margins ; uniform white beneath. 



Hah. Only the head and neck of a specimen which must have been 

 about four feet long have been preserved by Col. Beddome, who 

 obtained this snake in the Cuddapah Hills. 



Genus DRYOPHIS, 

 Boie, Isis, 1827, p. 520. 



Maxillary teeth 12 to 15, one or t\^ o in the middle much enlarged, 

 fang-like, and followed by an interspace, the two posterior grooved ; 

 of the mandibular teeth the third or fourth is largest, fang-like, 

 the posterior small. Head elongate, distinct from neck, Avith an- 

 gular canthus rostralis and concave lores ; eye rather large, with 

 horizontal pupil ; nostril in the posterior part of a single nasal ; 

 frontal narrow, more or less bell-shaped. Body much elongate 

 and compressed ; scales smooth, without apical pits, in 15 rows, 

 disposed obliquely, vertebral row slightly enlarged ; ventrals 

 rounded ; tail long; subcaudals in two rows. 



Of this genus of IVee-snakes, only seven or eight species are 

 known, all from the East Indies. 



Synopsis of Indian and Bunnese Species. 



A. Snout without dermal appendage. 

 a. Ventral shields less than 200. 



a'. One postocular ; no loreal ; subcaudals 



70-82 D. ijerroteti, p. ^68. 



h'. 2 postoculars; 1 or 2 loreals ; subcau- 

 dals 90-105 J), dispar, p. 368. 



c . 2 postoculars ; 3 or 4 loreals ; subcau- 

 dals 120-151 D.fronticinctiis, p. 368. 



h. Ventrals more than 200 ; subcaudals more 



than 150 D. jn-asinus, p. 369. 



B. Snout ending in a dermal appendage ; no 



loreal. 



a. Rostral appendage formed entirely by the 



rostral JJ. vii/cferixcms, y. 370. 



b. Rostral appendage covered with small 



scales above D. ^mlferulentvs, p. 371. 



