332 Records of the Indian Museum. [Vol. XXII, 



terrestrial in habits, but has been seen on the horizontal branches 

 of Ficus bengalensis near the ground and also swimming in the 

 lake. It often frequents the sides of stone-built wells. 



Lygosoma albopunctatum (Gray). B3' no means common. 

 One was seen under dead weed at the edge of the lake. In this 

 position it doubtless feeds on sand-hoppers, as its ally L. puncta- 

 tum has been observed to do at other places on the Chilka Lake. 



Barkudia insularts, Annandale.* Only one complete speci- 

 men, the type, has as yet been captured, Ijut Dr. Gravely saw 

 another in the rainy season of 1919. He managed to secure its 

 tail, but the animal escaped. It burrows with great rapidity in 

 the earth among the roots of fig-trees. The tail is extremelv 

 brittle. 



Typhlops hraminiis (Daud.), T. diardi, Schleg., T. porrecius, 

 Stol. These blind snakes are found occasionally in the same 

 situation as Barkudia. 



Zanicnis mucosus (Linn.). I once saw a large specimen dead in 

 one of the wells, and captured a young one on another occasion. 



Dendrclaphis tristis (Daud.). This is the commonest snake on 

 the island. It is sometimes seen on the ground, but more often 

 coiled in an elongate figure of eight on the branches of the shrub, 

 Glycosmis pentaphylla, or on the small-leaved fig-tree, Ficus obtusa, 

 of which it seems particularly fond. 



Dipsadoiitorphiis trigonatus (Schneid.). A single specimen was 

 taken. 



Cerberus rhynchops (Schneid.). I have included this snake in 

 the reptilian fauna of Barkuda (while excluding the purely aquatic 

 Chersydrus graniilatus and Hydrophis ohscurus, both common in 

 the Chilka Lake) because it sometimes comes ashore. It is com- 

 mon among the stones of the pier. I have seen a large gravid 

 female sunning itself on these stones, completely out of water, in 

 June. 



Btingarus coeritleus (Schneid.). By no means common, but 

 less rare than any other poisonous snake. I have seen four speci- 

 mens in eight years. One of them was dropped by a bird on the 

 doorstep of the bungalow in a moribund condition, but the bird 

 was not seen. 



Naia tripudians (Merr.). I have never seen a cobra on the 

 island, but once found a large cast skin. 



Viper a russelli (Shaw). A specimen was killed by Dr. Gravely 

 and myself in a clunq;) of prickly pear. 



Batrachia. 



The Batrachia are poorly represented on Barkuda. The only 

 species I have seen are Rana cyaiwphlyc/is, Schneid. and B11I0 

 melanoslictus, Schneid., the commonest and most generally distri- 

 buted Indian frog and toad. The frog is abundant in the pond 



' Rec. Ind. Mus, XIII, p. 19-21 (1917). 



