t) 



682 JOUIiNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXV. 



than once, and a confluence of the lower postocular and 5th labial 

 at least once. 



Dentition. — ( From 6 skulls in my collection). Maxilla. — Two 

 strong canaliculate fangs anteriorly, no teeth behind. Palatine. — 

 G to 8, decreasing in both directions from the 3rd or 4th ; grooved 

 on their inner faces. Pteryijoid. — 2 to C, small. Mandihle. — 9 to 

 1 1 , decreasing in size in both directions from about the •dth or 5th ; 

 e'rooved on their outer faces. 



Plate. — Our figures are good as regards colouring but incorrect 

 in the following matters. The scale rows are shown as 15 instead 

 of 13. The eye is too small and the iris far more conspicuously 

 a'olden than is the case in life. 



The second subject of this paper belongs to a family as yet not 

 touched upon in these popular series, vi^.., Uropeltidaj . 



Family VBOPELTTBJE. 



(From Greek " oura " tail, and Latin " peltis " shield, referring 

 to the curious terminal shield peculiar to the tails of these snakes). 

 According to Boulenger's scheme of classification this is the fifth of 

 the nine families into which the snakes of the world are divided 

 (Cat. Snakes in Brit. Mus. 1896). All the representatives are 

 to be found exclusively in the Hills of Southern India and Ceylon. 



The members of the family are most easily recognised by the 

 Ijreadth ot the ventral shields which though distinctly enlarged are 

 not twice the breadth of the last costal row. In this respect they 

 agree with those of one other family, viz., Ili/siidae. The snakes of 

 the latter family however have G supralabials, and those of the 

 Vropeliida: only 4. 



The family is sub-divided into 7 distinct genera (comprising 

 4'2 species), one of which, viz., Silyhiora includes the species dealt 

 with hereafter. 



Genus HILYBURA. 



(From Greek " silubou " a thistle, and " oura " tail, in allusion Id 

 the two terminal points on the last caudal shield). At least 22 

 difterent species are known. 



SILYBVRA OGELLATA. 

 The Ocellate Thistle Tail. 



Iliitory. — Discovered bj^ the late Colonel Beddome who described 

 it in 18G3 from specimens collected by him at Walaghat in the 

 Nilgiri Hills. 



Nomenclature (li) Scientific. — The specific title conferred b}'- 

 Beddome is from the Latin and is a diminutive form of " ocuhis " 



