THE COMMON INDIAN ."SNAKES. (531 



BhlrUnition. — From tlie Western Himalayas tluougli other 

 mountain ranges to Southern Cliina, and Formosa. 



Variety iw/ri venter (Wall). — I'^rom the Western Himalayas as 

 far W^est as Kasauli. ^ ery rare. ( )nl\' one specimen is known 

 which is in our Society's collection. 



Variety loiiviniatus (Ciunther). — rrum Nepal, through tlu' 

 Fastern Himalayas as far Fast as Sikkim. Fairly abundant in 

 Sikkim. 



Variety iijinca (Reinhardt). — Hills of Assam and Burma to 

 South China and Formosa. Annaiulale has recorded it from the 

 Abor country, Assam, North of the Brahmaputra at about 1,000 feet 

 elevation. \t is quite common in the Khasi Hills. Venning found 

 it fairly common in the Chin Hills. There is a specimen in tlie 

 British Miiseum from Pegu (presumably Hills), and Evans and 1 

 got a specimen from the Pegu Yomas. 



I have had it from the Hills in the Southern Shan States 

 (Mogok), and there are specimens in the British I\Iuseuni from 

 Hills in South China, and Formosa. 



Variety (jori (Wall). — Naga Hills in Assam, and Manipur. 

 Apparently uncommon. Only four specimens are known, three 

 were sent me from Jaipur near the Naga Hills, and one from 

 Manipur. 



Lepidods, llostral. — Touches G shields, the rostro-nasal sutures 

 are about four-thirds the rostro-internasals, and twice or three times 

 the rostro-labials. Internasals . — Two, the suture between the fellows 

 about tvro-thirds that between the prefrontal fellows, and about 

 two-thirds the intern aso-pne frontal sutures. Frcffrontuls. — Two, 

 the suture between them equal to, or rather greater than, the 

 prasfrouto-frontal. Frontal. — Touches 6 shields, the fronto-supra- 

 ocular sutures equal to, or rather less than the fronto-parietals. 

 Supruoadars. — About two-thirds the length and breadth of the 

 frontal. Nasals. — Two, in contact with the first three labials (rarely 

 first two only). Lureal. — Absent. Frwocular. — One. I'ostoculars. — 

 Two. Temporal. — One anterior, touching the 5th and Cth labials 

 only. S^ipralahials . — Seven, the ord and 4th touching the eye. 

 Infralahials . — Four, the 4th largest, about as long, and twice as broad 

 as the posterior suhlim/uals : touching two scales only behind. 

 Sul)lin(j2ials. — Two subequal pairs, the posterior touching the 4th, 

 or ord and 4tli infral.'Jnals . Costals.- — In 13 rows in the whole 

 body length; smooth; vertebrals not enlarged. Ventrals. — 182 to 

 240, more numerous in the $ . Anal. — Divided. Sulicatulals. — 

 20 to 36 pairs. 



Anomalies. — It is not unusual to find a few of the earlier subcau- 

 dals entire. I have seen the last ventral divided in one specimen. 

 The 2nd infralabial rarel}' fails to touch the anterior sublinguals. 

 1 have also seen a confluence of the temporal and 6th labial more 



