20 Records of the Indian Museum. [Vol. XIII, 



is distinct but minute. The nostril is situated in a distinct nasal : 

 it is remote from the first labial and separated from the rostral bv 

 a rounded tubercle. Three azygous shields exist on the top of the 

 head ; there are no praefrontals or frontoparietals. The body is 

 elongate and snake-like, with no external trace of limbs. 



Type-species. — Bavkudia insularis, sp. nov. 



The genus is closely allied to Sepophis, Beddome . which was 

 described from almost the same part of India but from hilly 

 country, and to Chalcidoseps^ Boulenger, only known from Ceylon. 

 It differs from both in the position and structure of the nostril. 



Barkudia insularis, sp. nov. 



The head is small, somewhat flattened above, triangular, 

 but with the snout bluntly rounded in front ; the snout projects 

 far beyond the lower jaw. The rostral is large, the portion seen 

 from above being considerably longer than the suture between the 

 supranasals ; the frontonasal is somewhat longer than the rostral, 

 bluntly pointed in front, transverse, heptagonal; the frontal is 

 broader than long and angularly emarginate laterally by the 

 second supraocular ; the interparietal is Ijroader than long, emar- 

 ginate anteriorly, hexagonal, larger than either the frontonasal or 

 the frontal. The rostral extends beneath the nasal to the first 

 labial; four upper labials are present, the second being the largest 

 and the third entering the orbit; there are two scales between the 

 orbit and the supranasals, both considerably larger than the nasal. 

 There are three supraoculars but no true superciliaries ; a single 

 relatively large scale intervenes between the second and third 

 supraoculars and the orbit. A small subocular is present near the 

 anterior margin of the orbit, and a larger praeocular above it ; there 

 are two postoculars. The ear-opening is situated some distance 

 behind the gape and is provided with minute lobules. 



There are twent}^ scales round the body. There are two en- 

 larged praeanals with a narrow scale external to each on either side 

 of the vent. 



The total length of the head and body is about 30 times the 

 greatest breadth of the latter. The tail is stout, tapering very 

 little and bluntly rounded at the tip 



The colour of the body is yellowish- white, with fourteen fine 

 dotted longitudinal black lines on the back and sides ; the head is 

 blackish above, marbled with yellow, the tip of the snout yellow. 

 The ventral surface is unspotted. 



Measuremoits. 



Total length 



Head . . 



Body . . 



Tail .. 



Greatest vertical diameter of bodv 



164 mm. 



9 ,, 

 96 ,, 

 59 ,, 



