SNAKES COLLECTED AT HAKGALA, CEYLON. 147 



action of the alimentary secretions than the calcareous envelope of 

 the former. One specimen contained about two inches of the 

 tail of a lizard such as a Calotes. Two others contained frogs in a 

 condition too dissolved to identify, and in one example I found a 

 snake AsjJi'diira {trachyprocta). 



Breeding. — Three specimens were pregnant, but unfortunately 

 the dates of capture were not noted in any instance. The 

 prospective mothers measured 1 ft. 2 in., \\\ in., and 11^ in. 

 Two contained 6, and one 4 immature eggs. 



Sexes. — Of the 27 specimens 10 were males, 13 females, and in 4 

 the sex was doubtful owing to mutilation. Both sexes appear to 

 grow to about the same length, and the tails also show little, if any, 

 disparity. The ventrals and subcaudals were as follows : — 



Ventrals 6 123-131 (.?); subcaudals 29-37 

 Ventrals ? 121-138 ; subcaudals 27-36 



In 7 at least out of 9 males the tails were bent over ventrally 

 in a hook-like manner, but in no single female was this seen. 

 The clasper of the male was bifid on each side as in other 

 members of the family V/peridce, and was surmounted with the 

 usual array of falciform tentacles. The testicles were not nearly 

 so elongate as is the rule in snakes, but, as in some other vipers 

 I know, were oval in form. I could discern no difference in 

 colouration between the sexes, nor were the keels more pro- 

 nounced in the scales of males. 



Scale peculiarities. — One or two things deserve notice. The 

 nasal shield touches only one labial, viz., the first, and this often 

 is produced upwards behind the nasal to meet the supraloreal, or 

 when this is not the case one or more minute intercalary scales 

 occupy this situation. The lowest prceocular is often entire, 

 often broken up into two. The suhoc^ilar may be entire, in 

 which case it meets the 3rd and 4th labials, or a small portion is 

 often detached anteriorly. The 2nd lahial variably contributes 

 to the formation of the loreal pit, often it does not do so, a separate 

 furrowed scale lying above furnishing a floor to the pit. The 

 scales are anteriorly (2 head lengths behind the head) 17, midbody 

 17, and posteriorly (2 head lengths in front of the vent) 17. 



Ahnormalities. — In one example there were 9 labials on the left 

 side. The sublinguals touched 2 inf ralabials only in 3 specimens. 

 The 5th subcaudal was entire in one example, and the 8th, 9th, 

 and 10th in another. 



Vipera russelli. 



Two small specimens were procured, showing that in Ceylon as 

 in India this species sometimes ascends to a considerable elevation, 

 though really an inhabitant of the plains. 



X 8(17)05 



