622 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY,Vol. XIX. 



In this species the costals ave in 15 rows at a point two headi-lengths behind 

 the head, 15 in midboJy, and 11 at a point two heads-lengths before the anus. 

 The scales reduce from !5 to 13 close behind midbody, the 3id row above tire 

 ventrals being absorbed into the row above or below. Shoi-tly afterwards the 

 rows become 11 by a similar absorption process. 



A specimen from Sadiya had but one loreal on both sides. The eggs when 

 immature are extremely elongate resembling a date stone somewhat in shape. 

 The len.![th is often three times the breadth, but as they mature the relative 

 bread uh increases. The secretion of the anal glands is creamy- white. 



The dentition in a skall bjfo.'e me is as follows : — Muxillary. — 28 teeth in a 

 continuous series, the poste.ior gradually and slightly enlarged. I'lilalo /ilery- 

 goid, — 18-1- 28, small and subequal. Manlilmlar. — 25, the fii-st 3 gradually increas- 

 ing in size the next few teeth subequal to the 3rd atid then there is a gradual 

 reduction in length posteriorly, Bo;ilengor in his catalogue gives among hia 

 generic characters a range of from 12 to 20 maxillary teeth. It is to be noted 

 also that he states that the body in this genus is cylindiical. In both this and 

 the next species there is a very notable compression of the body. 



Zime.iis niuco>iiis (Linne). 



The Assamese call this snake *' Qwalla samp," and believe that it sucks the 

 teats of cows. They state that they wind themselves round the cows' hind 

 legs, and bind them, and then suck the milk. 



Of 44sexed 25 were ^ (^,19 9 9 • I^i niy popular article on this snake, Vol. 



XVIII, page 2 j7, 1 mentioned that contraiy to what is the rule in snakes the ^ 



of this species appeare 1 to g^ow lari^er than the 9. This receives substantial 



support from the notes I made in Dib.ugarh. I find that I had no less than 9 



^ ^ exceeding G teet in length and only one 9 9 which was 6 feet 2 inches. 



The longest specimen was 7 feet 4 inches. On one occasion one was found in 



the same bole as a Jarge black k:ait (£i. niger). On another occasion one was 



seen to disappear in a hole and when dug up two were flushed and kUled, both 



females. On another occasion under similar circumstances two males were 



dug out of the same hole in May and in the hole was a cluster of egg shells 



which appeared to be those of a dhaman. They measured l^ inches in length, 



were ^ in number and obviously the production of last season. In a 9 



killed on the 30th April, I t (9 -f-ti^ follicles were impregnated. In another 



killed on the 12th June, there were 8 (6+2) eggs measuring || " long. In a 



thii-d, killed on the 2Gth July, there were several egg^, |^ ' long and /j" broad. 



As in the case of the last species the eggs are remaikably elongate in their 



early stages of development. Several had recently fed. Toads of the 



species Hu/j melanoatlclun had twice been taken, a fiog twice, a large skink 



(probably M ibiwi carinata) once, and a large fledgling twice, probably that of a 



crow in one instance, and a young ^ koel in the other. Thi feathers of the 



latter were black tip()ed with rufous as obseived b}- Dewar {vide this Journal. 



Vol. XVII, p. 781). One specimen had 5 loreals on both sides, and another had 



the 49th, 50th and 51st subcaudals entire. 



