NOTES ON SNAKES FROM DIYATALAWA. 99 



Tropidotiotus stolatus. 



(1) One (15| inches + 5| inches) on September 3. 



(2) One (about 18 inches) seen on the range on September 6. 



(3) A mangled example (about 18 inches) found on a path on 

 October 4. 



Fairly common ; found on the dry hillsides as well as in the 

 marshy valleys. 



Tropidonotus asperrimus. 



A liatchling {Sh inches) was brought to me on September 3. 

 It is a fairly common snake at Diyatalawa. 



Macropisthodon plumbicolor. 



On August 19, just before 8 a.m., I noticed a crow on the hillside 

 a couple of hundred yards away. The crow seemed to be attracted 

 by something on the ground but appeared afraid of it, as it kept 

 jumping about around the object of attraction. I thought it was 

 probably a snake, so took a stick and went over to investigate ; 

 sure enough, when I got to the place (the crow having flown off at 

 my approach), I found a fine example of this snake there. It did 

 not seem to have been hurt by the crow, but was defending itself by 

 flattening itself out along the ground in a most peculiar manner. 

 The head was raised slightly off the ground, and the whole of the 

 body (especially the forepart just behind the neck) was flattened out 

 so as to appear very broad. The snake did not attempt to bite, or 

 even hiss, when I picked it up. It was a fairly large specimen, 

 22 inches long. 



This snake ate three small frogs and a young Calotes on August 

 23, but refused to take any more frogs or lizards, although both 

 were kept constantly in its cage. On October 5, however, a large 

 toad {Bufo melanostictus) on being introduced, was at once attacked 

 and ingested. 



On October 8 I caught a second and smaller specimen of this 

 snake ; this was also taken in the early morning. This individual 

 did not flatten itself out at all when caught, nor make any attempt 

 or threat to bite. 



In spite of its particularly gentle disposition and harmless charac- 

 ter the natives appear to be very much afraid of this snake, and I 

 think that they are quite unable to discriminate between this species 

 and the " green tic-polonga " [Lachesis trigonocephalus). The local 

 name for it is " pala-polonga " ; pah, apparently means " a herb," 

 so the name may be translated '" herb-green viper." I was told a 

 strange tale of a native who had " pinched one of these snakes and 

 afterwards rubbed his eye with his fingers, with the result that he 

 had a verj' bad eye for some days." Any foundation of fact in this 



