144 SPOLTA ZEYLANICA. 



11. Some Notes on the Breeding Habits of some Ceylon 

 Snakes and Reptiles. — The snakes that breed most frequently 

 in captivity are naturally those that take to it most kindly, 

 such as Tropidonotus stolatus. The numerous specimens of 

 this snake, which I have kept during the last two years, have 

 produced a very large quantity of eggs, each snake usually 

 * averaging about fifteen in number. None of my cobras have 

 ever laid eggs, probably on account of their excitable disposi- 

 tion, and the fact that their cage is considerably smaller in 

 proportion to their size than that of Tropidonotus stolatus. 

 The laying period of Tropidonotus stolatus is very variable, and 

 extends from the end of April to the middle of September, 

 while the cobra breeds from May onwards. 



The python has often been known to breed in captivity, but 

 although I kept a collection of fourteen adult specimens loose 

 in a room for over a year, no eggs were obtained, though one 

 of the snakes, fifteen feet in length, was originally caught in 

 a hole, in May, with twenty-eight eggs, that were on the 

 point of hatching. 



Of the ovoviviparous snakes Trimeresurus trigonocephatus 

 (the "green polonga ") lays about December, and Ancistrodon 

 hypnale in September. 



The genus Bryophis contains both oviparous and ovovivi- 

 parous snakes, but of the Ceylon varieties, Bryophis mycterizans 

 is ovoviviparous ; only on one occasion has one of my specimens 

 of this species bred, when three young were produced, all dead. 

 Bryophis pulverulentus being an uncommon snake, I have 

 been unable to discover whether it is oviparoixs or not. 



A Vipera russellii (tic polonga) kept in Colombo, in the 

 course of a week gave birth to 28 young in captivity, all of 

 which died except one, and that and the parent died soon after, 

 probably on account of the snake injuring itself in its struggles 

 when caught, as even then the foetuses must have been in an 

 advanced stage of development. The young " tics " were of a 

 very dark colour, almost black, the leaf pattern being marked 

 in white lines, which, however, becomes very indistinct as the 

 snake groAvs larger, A^'hen the pattern has a broad dark edging. 

 These young snakes were about 7 in. in length, with the poison 

 apparatus fully developed. 



