XENOPELTIS. 113 



eye small, with vertically elliptic pupil. Nostril between two 

 small nasals ; frontal in contact with a large azygous interparietal 

 or occipital shield, which is in the middle between four parietals. 

 A mental groove. Body cylindrical ; scales smooth, in 15 rows ; 

 ventrals large. Tail short ; subcaudals in two rows. 

 [■ A single species. 



Fig. 36. — Head of Xenopdtis unicolor. 



119. Xenopeltis unicolor. 



Eeinw. 1. c. ; Cantor, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, XTi,p. 901 (1847) ; 

 Gtiuth. Kept. Brit. Iiid. p. 180 (1864) ; Bouleng. Faun. Brit. Ind., 

 Eept. p. 276 (1890); id. Cat. Sn. i, p. 168(1893); S. Flower, 

 P. Z. S. 1896, p. 878, and 1899, p. 657; Wall, Journ. Nat. 

 Hist. Soc. Bombay, xix, p. 292, pi. x (1909). 



Head much depressed, snout rounded ; frontal as long as its 

 distance from the rostral ; supraocular small, smaller than the 

 upper postocular ; a single large pra30cular or loreal : 2 post- 

 oculars, upper the larger; 8 u|)per labials, first in contact with 

 internasal, foui'th and fifth entering the eye ; a pair of very small 

 chin-shields. Scales in 15 rows. Ventrals 166-196 ; anal 

 divided ; subcaudals 26-31. Black or brown above, highly 

 iridescent, scales with lighter edges ; upper lip and lower parts 

 pale yellow ; young with the head yellowish, with a broad yellow 

 nuchal collar. 



Total length 1000 millim. ; tail 100. 



Southern India, Burma, ludo-China, Siam, Malay Peninsula 

 and Archipelago. Generally distributed throughout the Peninsula. 



A burrowing snake, living mostly underground. Peeds on 

 other snakes and small mammals. 



