314 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 
NOTES. 
Viviparous Habit of the Snake Cylindrophis maculatus 
(Linne)—Among half a dozen Ceylon snakes sent to me 
recently through the kindness of Mr. Gerard A. Joseph, I found 
a specimen of Cylindrophis maculatus, which proved to be 
gravid. As far as I am aware, the viviparous nature of this 
species has not been previously noted ; in fact, judging from 
Boulenger’s Catalogue (1893, Vol. I., p. 131 et seg.), nothing 
is known of the breeding habits of any of the species of the 
family Ilysiide. This being so, the specimen referred to by 
me is of very special interest. 
When cut open two foetuses (1 g, 1 2) were brought to 
light, each folded twice into three about equal parts, and 
marked and coloured just like the dam. The 3g, known from 
its extruded claspers, measured 53 inches, and the 9 5 inches 
in length, the parent taping just 10% inches. Now I find that 
in most viviparous snakes the young measure at birth about 
one-quarter the length of the dam, so that the embryos now 
referred to are relatively very large, bemg almost half the 
length of the parent. Such unusual development probably 
influences the numbers in the brood, which in this case is 
considerably less than in any other land snake that I am 
acquainted with. Ina paper of mine published in the Bombay 
Natural History Journal (Vol. XXV., p. 607), I drew attention 
to the very small broods that two sea snakes (Hnhydris curtus 
and Hydrophis gracilis) produce. Both usually discharge one 
or two ata birth, and in the case of the former, the embryos 
measure at least two-fifths of the dam before birth. 
Unfortunately there is no record of the date of capture of 
this interesting C. maculatus. 
October 12, 1918. F. WALL. 
