337 



NOTES ON SNAKES FROM THE NL]lGHBOUUHOOD 



OF UAIUEELING. 



BY 



Major F. WALL, I.M.S., C.M.Z.S. 

 (With a Platk.) 



Between the 24th June and the end of November 1908, I had 

 opportunities of examining 984 snakes representing 48 different 

 species from the locality ol Darjeeling, Of this large total 778 were 

 collected by myself with the very material assistance of friends, 95 

 were in the Darjeeling Museum, and 111 in St. Joseph's Cjllege 

 collection. My tlianks are due to several gentlemen who spared no 

 pains in helping me. Among these I would mention Mr. J. L. Lister 

 of Fashok Tea Estate, Mr. A. W. Wright of Tindharia, Mr. 

 H. K. Robinson, the Forest Officer at Kurseong, and Mr. de Abreu 

 of Victoria School, Kurseong. My acknowledgments are also due to 

 Mr. Fritz Moller for allowing me to examine the collection in 

 the Darjeeling Museum, and to the authorities at St. Joseph's College 

 for giving me access to their collection. 



The area over which Mr. Lister's coolies collected is an extensive 

 one ranging between altitudes varying from. 1.200 to 5.200 feet near 

 Darjeeling and the mention of Pashok hereafter implies this area. 

 No less than 408 specimens were collected here. Mr. Wright's 

 coolies collected about the Railway between'tho foot hills and Tin- 

 dharia. i <?., at an altitude between about 500 and 2.800 feet. Tindharia 

 in the following ])ages implies this area. From here I received 75 

 specimens. ]\lr. Robinson and Mr. de Abreu collected at Kurseong 

 between elevations of 5,500 and G,500 feet, and got me 242 specimens. 

 The Darjeeling Museum specimens have no localities attached, but 

 Mr. Fritz Moller told me that nearly all had been collected by a neigh- 

 bouring Pxanter from slopes ranging between about 2,000 and 4,500 

 feet. The St. Joseph's College collection has been for the mo.st part 

 accumulated locally. Amongst other interesting specimens there are 

 several which had been collected by the late Dr. Vincent Richards, 

 one of our greatest ophiologists in the special department concerning 



