ON COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 105 



breadth. Otherwise they are just like those of the common wolf- 

 snake. 



Distrihution~-{a) Geographical. — This species extends further West 

 than the Common Wolf-Snake, but not nearly so far East, its limit in 

 this direction being proximately tha longitude of Calcutta. It 

 occurs throughout Peninsular India and Cjylon. On the West 

 it extends through Sind and the Punjab, Baluchistan, and Persia 

 to Transcaspia. 



{h) Loat^.— Appears to be chiefly a snake of the Plains, extending 

 to low hills to about 2,000 feet. 



(c) Numerical. — Though I think it has claims to be considered 

 one of the common snakes of India, it is not nearly the common 

 snake that its ally auliciis is. In Fyzabad I got 1 3 specimens out 

 of a total of 704, but whether it is more plentiful there than in other 

 parts, I cannot say. I saw 3 or 4 specimens in the few months I 

 was stationed at Berhampore (Orissa). 



Lepidos/s. Rostral. — Touches 6 shields ; the rostro-nasal suture 

 longest. Internasals. — Two, the suture between them | to f that bet- 

 ween the prsefrontal fellows, about equal to the internaso-praefrontal 

 sutures. Prcefrontals. — Two, the suture between them distinctly 

 greater than the prsefronto-frontal ; touch the internasals, loreal, 

 prseocular, supraocular and frontal. Frontal, — Touches 6 shields, the 

 supraocular sutures longest. <Swjorao(?M/ar.s.— § the length, ^ or less 

 than \ the breadth of the frontal. Nasals. — Quite divided by the 

 nostril : touch the 1st and 2nd supralabials. Loreal. — One, about as 

 long as the nasals taken together : in contact with the internasals. 

 Prceocuiar. — One, not touching the frontal. Postoculars. — Two. 

 Temporals. — Two anterior. Supralabials. — 8 normally, t:.e 3rd, 4th 

 and 5th touching the eye. Sublinguals. — Two pairs, the posterior 

 rather shorter and in contact with the 5th and 6th infralabials. 

 Infralabials. — 6 ; the 6th largest, twice or nearly twice as broad 

 as the posterior sublinguals, in contact with 3 scales behind ; the 

 suture between the 1st about equal to that between the anterior 

 sublinguals. Costals. — 2 heads-lengths from head 17, midbody 17, 

 2 beads-lengths before vent ]5 ; the reduction from 17 to 15 occurs 

 well behind the middle of the body and is due to a conduence of the 

 3rd and 4th rows above the ventrals usually, sometimes the 4th and 



5th ; keels absent ; apical pits present, single ; the vertebral row not 

 14 



