NOTES ON SNAKES COLLECT^]) IN UPPER ASSAM. 611 



to me from Halem of ;i specimen he had lately killed in the act of swallowing 

 a fowl. When opened, he found " about a double handful of earthworms and 

 a handful of a berry, which the natives call jaman," in the stomach. Though 

 pythons are known to be fairly omnivorous, this is the first time that I have 

 ever heard of either worms or fruit being ingested, and it is difficult to account 

 for such material in the stomach except as the result of deliberate intention. 

 Pythons harbour many parasites, but it is difficult to believe that any of these 

 could be mistaken for earthworms. 



COLUERIDylv. 



Tropidonotus piscator (Schneider) 



Called by the Assamese " dhora." On one occasion when one was killed at 

 the railway workshops all the Indian coolies agreed in calling it " dhor " but 

 the Assamese present called it " dhora " the name I have on other occasions 

 always heard them use for this species. 



This snake is as plentiful in the Plains of Assam as it is in most other parts 

 of our Indian Dominions. The great majority of specimens have large, and 

 very conspicuous black spots conforming to variety qtdncunciatu? of Schlegel. 

 A fair number had small black chequering, and in others chequering was 

 obscure or absent. Many of these appeared to me to be approaching their 

 ecdysis, and for this reason were sombrely decked, I could discern the indi- 

 cations of dark chequering, and believe that in many cases, if not all, the 

 desquamation would have revealed the typical black ornamentation. Of variety 

 quincunciatus I saw none ornamented with red. Ill specimens — not including 

 those I hatched from eggs — came to bag, and a record of those that call for 

 remark had best be shown in tabular form. It is remarkable what a marked 

 preponderance there is of 9 over ^. Of 77 specimens sexed by me 57 

 were V $ , ^^^^ of 8 hatchlings of the same brood 6 were 9 9 • 



