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



Supralahials. — 7 ; the 2nd narrowest, distinctly more so than the 1st 

 and 3rd ; the 3rd and 4th touching the eye. Infralahials. — 4 ; the 

 4th largest, and in contact with two scales behind ; the 3rd and 4th 

 touching the posterior sublinguals. Sublinguals, — Two pairs, the 

 anterior rather larger. Costals. — Two heads-lengths from head 15, 

 midbody 15, two heads-lengths before anus 15. Vertebrals well 

 developed, bi-oader than long in midbody. Keels absent. Apical pits 

 absent. VentraJs, — 216 to 231. Anal, — Entire. Suhcaudals. — 47 

 to 57, all entire. Colour. — Uniform black above, belly whitish, more 

 or less sullied, or mottled with slatish behind, especially beneath tail. 

 Sides of throat, chin, and lips some times tinged yellow. Dentition. — 

 Maxillary. — Two large tubular fangs side by side in front, succeeded 

 after a gap by 2 or 3 small subequal teeth grooved on their anterio- 

 external aspect. Palato-pterygoid 11 + 1], small, subequal; the 

 posterior pterygoid gradually reducing in length ; grooved on their 

 inner faces. Mandibular 17, the 3rd, 4th and 5th rather longest, 

 grooved on their outer faces. 



Naia tripudians (Merrem). 



Of 15 specimens collected, three were from Sadiya, two from near 

 Tinsukia (Rangagara), one from North Lakhimpur (Dejoo), two 

 from near Doom Dooma (Hansara), two from near Jaipur, and the 

 rest from Dibrugarh. All of the specimens belonged to variety 

 fasciata, some being olive-brown and others blackish. Mr. C. Gore 

 tells me however that last year he killed a specimen in his tea- 

 house at Barahapjan with perfect spectacles on the hood (var. 

 typica). Two specimens from Dibrugarh, and one from Jaipur 

 had the scales in 19 rows at midbody. In all the rest there were 

 21, but whether the costals were 19 or 21 at midbody, they reduced 

 to 15 at a point two heads-lengths before the anus, except in one 

 instance when they came to 13, the rows in midbody being 19. 

 One example had eaten a toad (Bufo melanostictus). Dentition. — In 

 two skulls before me this is as follows: — Maxillary. — A pair of 

 tubular fangs placed side by side anteriorly, followed after a gap by 

 one small tooth grooved on its outer side. Palato-pterygoid 7 to 8+11 

 to 15, small, subequal, grooved on their iimer side. Mandihidar 14, 

 the 3rd and 4th rather longest, grooved on their outer faces. 



The cobra appears to be far less common in Assam than it is in 

 most parts of India. 



