380 JOVRNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXV. 



always noticed that its progress above ground is very slow. 

 Under excitement it protrudes the tongue like other snakes. This 

 organ is bifid as in other snakes, and wdiite at the tip. 



This is almost certainly the species which some years ago invaded 

 the water supply in Calcutta, many specimens finding their way 

 into the pipes of distribution. Much surprise and consternation 

 were evinced by timid residents when a living specimen appeared 

 through the tap supply. It sometimes invades houses in consider- 

 able numbers, from the garden, or pot plants. Captain Stevenson, 

 I.M.S., told me that in Manipur it is extremely common in houses. 

 He has found 3 in a single evening wriggling about the floor when 

 he was dressing for dinner, and one subaltern in his regiment col- 

 lected about one hundred in his house in about a month. 



This species affords considerable sustenance to the young of the 

 common krait (Bungarus cteruleus). In Fyzabad I cut open no 

 less than eight young kraits, and found one or more of these blind 

 snakes in their stomachs. 



Parasites. — This is one of the many snakes known to harbour 

 the nematode, intestinal worm called Kallicephalus willeyi by Von 

 Linstow. 



Food. — Most of those that I have dissected have had full stomachs 

 and the contents when investigated proved to be the larvae, pup», 

 and imagines of ants, and probably beetles, and other insects. Dr. 

 Annandale discovered one in the burrow eaten by a caterpillar in a 

 stalk of sugarcane. The caterpillar had vacated or perhaps had been 

 eaten by the snake, and subsequently in captivity the snake was 

 observed to eat the caterpillar droppings. 



Breeding. — The brahminy snake is believed to be oviparous, but 

 I am not aware of any certain evidence in this direction. All the 

 gravid females I have known were in A ssam, and these eight in 

 number were collected in the hot weather from April to July, In 

 length they ranged between 6" and 6f .'' Six of these were brought 

 to me on the same day by the same boy, who had evidently unearthed 

 a colony, and only one male was brought with them. The eggs 

 which whilst in the abdomen i^semble grains of cooked rice varied 

 from 2 to 7 in number, the largest measuring ^|-" X ^''2"- 



Legends. — The Tamil names •' Sevipambu " or " ear snake " and 

 •'■poor an " or " centipede," I am told by Dr. J. R. Henderson are 

 applied because both this snake and the centipede, are popularly 

 supposed to enter the human ear. 



Leindosis. — Snout rounded. Rostral — About one-third the width 

 of the head, hardly extending to the level of the eyes. Prcefrontal, 

 frontal and inter-parietal — Subequal. Supraocular, pra>parietal and 

 postparietal — Subequal. Nasals — Quite divided ; the suture above 

 the nostril much longer than that below ; the latter extending to the 

 praeocular; not in contact behind the rostral. Prceocular — Large, 



