THE COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 633 



.tu eye. This refers to the many little, I'oiind, yellow spots grouped 

 so as to form irregular cross bauds on the body. 



(/*) EiKjlish. — The Ocellate Thistle Tail is the (iquivalent of its 

 scientific designation. 



(c) Vernaadar. — Nothing distinctive is known to me. 



General characters. — A small snake rarely exceeding 18 inches. 

 The head smaller in girth than the body, tapers to an obtuse point. 

 The nosti'il is open, and pierced in the front of the nasal shield. 

 The eye is contained in the ocular shield and is small, being about 

 one-third the length of that shield. No neck is indicated, on the 

 contrary this region is swollen, and the body then maintains a simi- 

 lar calibre in its whole length. The tail is short and subtruncate 

 and ends in two small spines placed side by side. 



Colour. — The scales are olivaceous-brown, or olivaceous-green at 

 their edges, lighter centrally. The whole body is beset with small 

 round bright yellow spots, grouped so as to form irregular chains 

 across the back, incorporated in ratlier ill-defined dark crossbars. 

 These bars end subcostally where, many spots become confluent to 

 form a yellow patch with an outline like a bunch of grapes. The 

 yellow which is often a bright canary is a very unstable colour 

 dissolving in spirit in a few hours. In some specimens I have found 

 it so intense as to stain the inside of the skin, the muscles, and 

 even the viscera a turmeric yellow. I have seen some specimens with 

 the yellow adornment almost wanting. 



Dimensions. — My largest specimen whicli came from Paralai in 

 the Anamallay Hills measured 17|- inches, much the largest mea- 

 surement 1 know. (S specimens frequently reach 12 to 18 

 inches, and $ 14 to 16 inches. 



Identijicaiion. — The breadth of the ventrals, vk., about :j that of 

 the last costal row, taken with the two spines placed side by side 

 on the terminal tail shield will establish the genus, but attention 

 to many more points is necessary tp identify the species. 

 These are : — 



(1) Costal s in midbod}' 17. 



(2) Nasals in contact behind the rostral. 



(3) Diameter of eye ^ or less than ^ that of the ocular shield 



horizontally, 



(4) Poi-tion of rostral seen from above longer than its dist- 



ance from the frontal, 

 (o) Rostral not more than ^ the shielded part of the head. 

 (6) Ventrals 185 to 234. 

 Tf is position. — I have found it a very inoffensive quiet little 

 creature, allowing itself to be picked up and handled without 

 trying to bite, and with very little show of displeasure. It is a 

 restless little reptile, continually pushing its snout between the 

 clefts of one's fingers as though seeking to hide itself. When 



15 



