A POPULAR TREATISE ON THE COMMON fNDfAN SNAKES. 787 



long on the 3 preceding .sliii^cls, in contact with two scales behind ; the 

 5th and 6th touching the posterior sublinguals. Sublinguals. — Two 

 pairs ; the posterior decidedly longer. Costals. — 15 at a point two 

 head-lengths behind the head, and to well beyond midbody, when 

 they reduce to 13, and then to 11 or even 9, before the vent. The 

 reduction from 15 to 13 is due to the absorption of the 4th scale above 

 the ventrals into the row above or below ; that from 13 to 11 results 

 from a fusion of the 5th and 6th rows above the ventrals ; 

 and when the number further reduces to 9, the 5th row is absorbed 

 into one of the adjacent rows. The vertebrals are enlarged, but 

 they are very distinctly longer than broad in midbody, they arise in 

 the neck by a fusion of 3 rows, thus differing from the genus 

 Bungarus, where they gradually develop from a single row pro- 

 gressively enlarging, and unlike the genus Bunyarus they cease above 

 the anus. The ultimate row is much enlarged considerably exceeding 

 the vertebral in breadth. Keels are absent everywhere. Apical pits 

 are present, and single. V€nlrals. — 168 to 197, varying in number 

 with locality *; sharply ridged (keeled) on each side. Anal divided. 

 Suhcaudals divided, 115 to li6 ; keeled like the ventrals. Dentition.^ 

 Maxillary.— 11 to 22 : the first 3 or 4 progressively increasing, the 

 posterior, 3 or 4 compressed and progressively decreasing, so that the 

 last is about two-thirds the length of the longest in the series. 

 Palatine. — 11 to 14, subequal, and as long as the longest maxillary. 

 Pterygoid. 1 9 to 24 (except the Kil Kotagiri specimen which has 28 

 and 29) ; smaller than the palatine. Mandibular.— '10 to 2t> (usually 

 20 to 22) ; the first 3 or 4 progressively increasing, the posterior 

 gradually decreasing. The length of the articular process equals the 

 length from the, articular notcli (see fig. A. Q) to about the 4th 

 tooth. 



DENDROPHLS PICTUS (Gmelin). 



Tke llintalo-Malayan Bronzeback. 



JSomendature. (a) Scientijic. — The generic name Irora the oevopoT 

 a tree and o^i? a snake, was applied by Boio in 1627 ; the >])« cific 



* In 19 speciuieuB from varioua pans of India other thau the Easurii Himalayas, they 

 ^re 1G8 to 192. In 9 Eastern Himalayan examples thty are 190 to 197. 



t This is based on 10 skulls in my colL-ciion from Pashok (Kaetern liimalayaa), 

 Alatiras. MatbeTau, unci Kil Koiagiri (Nil;,'iri lillls). 



