NOTES ON SNAKES COLLECTED IN UPPER ASSAM. 833 



(Vol. Ill, p. 79). It was a $ measuring 4 I'eet U inches, the 

 tail being 1 foot 1-| inches. Tho ventrals and subcaudals were 

 248-1-119. The scales at a point two heads-lengths behind the head 

 were in 23 rows, at midbodj 23. and two heads-lengths before the anns 

 15. The reductions from 23 to 21 and 17 to 15 were due to the 

 absorption of the uppermost row into the vertebral, and that from 19 

 to 17 to the absorption of the ord row above the ventrals into the 

 2nd on the right side, and the 4th on the left. All three steps 

 occurred close together. 



Dipsadomorphus quincunciatus (Wall.) 



The type was described and figured in this Journal by me last 

 year (Vol. XVIII, p. 272), and was sent to the British Museum. 

 Since this I acquired a second specimen from the same locality, viz., 

 near Tinsukia (Rangagara). This is now lodged in the Indian 

 Museum. 



It measured 3 feet 5^ inches, the tail being 9f inches. It agrees 

 perfectly with the first example except that the ventrals and sub- 

 caudals are 237 -|- 118, and the supralabials are 8, the 3rd, 4th and 

 5th touching the eye on both sides. 



The anterior palatine teeth are barely if at all enlarged. 



Psammodynastes pulverulentus (Boie). 



In all five specimens were acquired, three from Dibrugarh, one 

 from North Lakhimpur (Dejoo) and one from Jaipur. One of these 

 was the gravid 9 reported in this Journal (Vol. XVIII, p. 204), 

 irhiuh showed that tLe species is viviparousc I had live examples. 

 The one I kept some time in captivity was a truculent creature. It 

 struck at Captain Wright to whom I was indebted for the 

 specimen, and subsequently struck at me on more than one occasion, 

 wounding me once in the finger when handling it. Prior to 

 striking, it erected itself and threw the forebody into a figure of 8, 

 much in the same way as the Dipsadontorphus do : another which my 

 wife encountered at dusk erected itself, and would doubtless have 

 strock if given the chance. I could not get my caged specimen to 

 eat, though I supplied it liberally witli small frogs every day. A frog 

 too had been swallowed by one specimen that was brought to me dead. 

 In the flanks there are blotches of bright ochre, and velvety blac 



