252 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVI. 



Eye moderate; pupil round. Postoculars one. Temporals one anterior 

 in contact with two labials, the suture with the 6th about twice 5th. 

 Labials 7; the 3rd and 4th touching the eye; last two largest, subequal. 

 Anterior sublinguals larger than posterior ; in contact with 4 infralabials. 

 Posterior sublinguals in contact with one another, and with 4th 

 infralabial. Pentagonal is the 4th and much the largest shield of 

 the series ; in contact with two scales behind ; broader than posterior 

 sublinguals. The first infralabial suture is about half that between the 

 anterior sublinguals. Scales two heads lengths behind head 13 ; midbody 

 13 ; two heads lengths in front of vent 13. All rows subequal, even last 

 not enlarged. Apical pits and keels absent everywhere. Supracau- 

 dals in even rows ; midtail 6, end in twos (2 rows), fusion at the steps 

 from the eights downwards effected by the blending of the two rows 

 lying uppermost on each side. Ventrals 200 ; evenly rounded ; the 

 ultimate row of scales barely visible on either side. Anal divided. 

 Subcaudals 39; in pairs. Colour dusky-black laterally, with a rufous 

 brown, vertebral stripe from nape to tip of tail involving the vertebral 

 and half the adjacent row ; this stripe is edged by a series of linear black 

 spots, most evident anteriorly. A linear black line on the confines of 

 the 2nd and 3rd rows above the ventrals, interrupted anteriorly, and 

 ending at vent. A supra-anal black bar and another subterminal, 

 caudal, black bar. Head blackish. Kostral rufous-yellow, blotched black 

 below. Labials mottled black and rufous-yellow. A rufous collar in- 

 complete vertebrally. Chin, and throat rufous-yellow, mottled black in 

 the sutures. Belly black, mottled fawn. Beneath tail black laterally, 

 crimson centrally, the colour of a ripe yew-berry, and reminding one 

 of the tail of Simotes cruentatus. The head is of the same calibre as the 

 body, the neck very little evident, and the body wonderfully protracted 

 and of even girth throughout. 



