186 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 



NOTES. 



1. Miscellaneous Records. Callophis trimaculatus. — This small 

 snake is so rarely met with in Ceylon that the capture of a specimen 

 is something of an event to a naturalist. Whilst riding along the 

 road from Niroddumunai to Trincomalee, shortly after sunrise on 

 October 4 last, I came upon a very slender snake lying across the 

 track, and rode over it without injuring it, so slim is its body. Upon 

 picking it up I recognized it at once by its black head relieved by 

 two pale round occipital spots behind the parietal shields. Besides 

 the black upper surface of head and nape, there is a more or less 

 interrupted band of black behind the vent and another similar 

 fenestrated band before the tip of the tail. The specific name doubt- 

 less refers to these three patches of black, which are conspicuous 

 upon an otherwise uniform pale grapsh brown ground colour. The 

 nearly white occipital spots are sharply defined, about half a 

 millimetre in diameter, and evidently an important element in the 

 scheme of coloration. They may possibly belong to the category 

 of the so-called " false eyes,"* which may produce a terrifying 

 effect on certain enemies, and thus act as warning signals. They 

 can only be faintly discerned in specimens preserved in alcohol. 



Another feature which disappears in alcohol is the orange colour 

 of the ventral surface. Beginning in the anterior region as a pale 

 yellowish median tract, it gradually widens and becomes denser, 

 until it occupies the whole extent of the ventral shields as a bright 

 orange yellow band until it reaches the end of the abdomen, where 

 the anal and preanal shields are dark orange red, almost scarlet. 

 This brilliantly coloured preanal tract is immediately followed by 

 the post-anal black belt. The subcaudals are pale bluish, with a 

 few irregularly distributed orange red spots. 



It is a venomous snake allied to the cobra and bungarum, but is 

 too small to be dangerous, and can be handled \dth impunity, 

 making no attempt to bite. In captivity it seeks to hide its head 

 under whatever cover may be afforded. 



The length of the specimen under description is 12 inches, the 

 diameter 4 mm. The previous records of the occurrence of this 

 species in Ceylon are summarized in this Journal, Vol. I., p. 85. 

 From these it appears that the snake is a characteristic member of 

 the eastern fauna of the Island. 



Flight of Butterflies at Trincomalee. — Between 11 a.m. and 

 1 P.M. on last October 4, I witnessed an extraordinary flight of 

 brown and speckled butterflies at Trincomalee, comparable in 



* See this Volixme, p. 92. 



