A POPULAR TREATISE ON INDIAN SNAKES. 541 



known cases of men bitten by this snake, but never a deatb in conse- 

 quence. On making enquiries at the Civil Hospital in Hongkong in 1901 

 I ascertained that no case of snake bite had ever been treated in that 

 institution, and as this snake is quite one of the commonest in that locali- 

 ty, this circumstance adds weight to the accuracy of the above remarks. 



Distribution.— (a) (Geographical). — Its range of distribution is a large 

 one, extendiug from the Western Ghats of India through Burma, the 

 Malay Peninsula (including Siam and Cochin China), the whole Mala- 

 yan Archipelago to Southern China and Formosa on the one hand, and 

 from the Himalayas through the peninsula of India as far South as the 

 Cauvery river. The most southern record I can find is the Wynad 

 (Madmalley). It is not recorded from Ceylon, and Mr. Ferguson, who 

 has collected reptiles for fifteen years in Travancore, writes to me that 

 it is unknown in that territory. I can find no record of its occurrence 

 in the Nilgiris, Anamallay, and Palneys 6 . 



(6) (Local). — In India it is, I believe, not found in the actual plains, 

 except in the Sunderbunds, but always at some altitude about 1,500 feet 

 and upwards, and is generally regarded as a hill snake in the Peninsula. 

 In Burma and Further East it is met with frequently at or near sea 

 level, as well as being found in upland regions. 



(c) (Numerical). — Though it cannot be considered a common snake 

 in the sense that the dhaman {Zamenis mucosus) and paddy-field snake 

 ( Tropidonotus -piscator) are, it is by no means uncommon in many 

 localities. From Mr. Millard and Mr. Gerhard t I gather it is plentiful 

 on th9 Western Ghats near Bombay (Karli and Khandalla), and Mr. 

 Millard remarks that though common thereabouts up to the end of 

 October, they are not seen after the middle of November. Anderson* 

 says: " It appears to be a common snake in the tropical valleys below 

 Darjeeling, where it is usually found at an elevation of 2,000 feet." 

 Stoliczka says it appears common in the Khasi Hills and Assam, and 

 also near Moulmein in Lower Burmah. He mentions he never observed 

 it in the interior of the North-West Himalayas. Mr. Hampton, writing 

 from Burma, says he has had scores of them. Out of 69i snakes 

 collected by Captain Evans and myself from all parts of Burma in 1899- 

 1900, 18 were of this species. Mr. Flower describes it as being fairly 

 numerous about Bangkok, and both he and Stoliczka record it as the com- 

 monest Lachesis in Penang and the Province Wellesley, but say it is rare 



• Proc. Zool. Soc.,Lood„ 1871, y. 194. 



