TROPIDONOTUS. 127 



iiiternasals broadly truncate in front, shorter than the prsefrontals ; 

 frontal once and a half to once and two thirds as long as broad, as 

 long as or a little longer than its distance from the end of 

 the snout, shorter than the parietals ; loreal as long as deep or 

 deeper; 1 pra3- and 3 postoculars ; temporals 2 + 2 or 2 + 3 ; 8 

 (rarely 9) npper labials, third, fourth, and fifth entering the eye ; 

 5 (rarely 6) lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields, 

 which are usuall}'- a little shorter than the posterior. Scales 

 strongly keeled, of outer row smooth, in 19 rows. Ventrals 132- 

 166 ; anal diA'ided ; snbcaudals 65-87. Olive-brown, greyish olive, 

 or greenish above, adult uniform or with black and yellow reticu- 

 lation ; neck often tinged with bright vermilion ; a dorso-lateral 

 series of light spots may be present ; a black oblique spot below 

 the eye, on a white ground, usually present ; young with a jet- 

 black cross-band on the nape, bordered with yellow behind; belly 

 yellowish ; frequently a black dot on the outer end of each ventral 

 shield. 



Total length 1060 millim. ; tail 255. 



Southern China, Eastern Himalayas, Assam, Burma, Siam, 

 Malay Archipelago. Eecorded from Penang and Perak. 



Feeds on frogs and toads. 



131. Tropidonotus clirysargus. 



Schleo-. Phys. Serp. ii, p. 311>, pi. xii, figs. 6 & 7 (1837) ; Bouleng. 



Faini. Brit. Ind., Rept. p. 345 (1890) ; id. Cat. Sn. i, p. 258 (laQS)"- 



S. Flower, P. Z. S. 1899, p. 663. 

 Tropiclonotifs juncetis, Cantor. Journ. Asiat. Soe. Bengal, xvi, p. 940 



(1847) ; Giinth. Kept. Brit. Ind. p. 268, pi. xxii, fig. F (1864). 



Eye large. Eostral twice as broad as long ; internasals 

 broadly truncate in front, nearly as long as the prsefrontals ; 

 frontal once and two thirds to once and three fourths as long as 

 broad, as long as its distance from the end of the snout, shorter 

 than the parietals ; loreal nearly as deep as long; 1 or 2 pr.'B- and 

 3 postoculars ; temporals 2 -[- 2 or 2 -1- 3 ; 8 or 9 upper labials, 

 third, fourth, and fifth, or fourth, fifth, and sixth entering the 

 eye ; 5 or 6 lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields, 

 which are shorter than the posterior. Scales all strongly keeled, 

 in] 9 rows. Ventrals 143-175 ; anal divided ; subcaudals 60-93. 

 Brownish or olive-green above, usually with a series of yellow 

 spots or short transverse bars along each side of the back : young 

 with black spots and cross-bars, which become indistinct with age ; 

 the skin between the scales sometimes red ; upper lip yellow, with 

 the sutures between the shields black, the yellow colour extendino' 

 as a more or less distinct angular or crescentic band on the nape ; 

 belly yellowish, with or without blackish dots, and with a more or 

 less distinct series of small black spots along each side. 



Total length 680 millim. ; tail 190. 



Eastern Himalayas and Southern China to the Malay Peninsula 

 and Archipelago Known from Penang and the Larut Hills, 



