140 coLUBiiiD.i:. 



cyliudrical or feebly compressed ; scales smooth or keeled, with 

 apical pits, in 19 to 27 (15 to 35) rows ; ventrals rounded or 

 angulate laterally. Tail moderate or long; subcaudals iu two 

 rows. 



Europe, Asia, North and Tropical America. 

 I^'ive species in the Malay Peninsula. 

 / Grraeeful, bold, and aggressive ' snakes, feeding chiefly on 

 'mammals and birds, which they kill by constriction. Oviparous. 



Si/nojisis of the Species, 

 I. Scales in 19 rows. 



Scales smooth : ventrals 190-218, not angulate 



laterally ; anal divided ; subcaudals 52-76 . C. poiylujraceus, p. 140. 



Scales keeled ; all caudal scales keeled ; ven- 

 trals 193-234, angulate laterally ; anal entire; 

 subcaudals 89-115 C. melanurus, p. 141. 



Scales keeled, outer caudals smooth ; ventrals 

 224-245, angulate laterally : anal entire ; 

 subcaudals 85-100 C. » adiatus, p. 141. 



II. Scales in 23-27 rovrs, smooth or feebly 

 keeled ; ventrals 230-305, angulate 

 laterally. 

 Frontal longer than broad ; subcaudals 89- 



114 C. teeniurus, p. 142. 



Frontal as long as broad, or a little longer ; 



subcaudals 122-149 C. oxycephalus, p. 143. 



148. Coluber porphyraceus. 



Cantor, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 51; Glinth. Rept. Brit. Ind. p. 239, 

 pi. XX, fig. J (1864) ; Bouleng. Cat. Sn. ii, p. 34 (1894). 



Psammophis nigrofasciatus, Cantor, t. c. p. 53. 



Ablables porphyraceiis, Bouleng. Faun. Brit. Ind., Kept. p. 308 

 (1890). 



Eostral nearly twice as broad as deep ; internasals shorter than 

 the prsefrontals ; frontal broad, as long as or a little longer than 

 its distance from the end of the snout, shorter than the parietals ; 

 loreal rather small, longer than deep ; a large prajocnlar ; 2 post- 

 oculars ; temporals 1-f 2; 8 upper labials, fourth and fifth entering 

 the eye ; 4 or 5 lower labials in contact with tlie anterior chin- 

 shields, which are longer than the posterior. Scales smooth, in 

 19 rows. Ventrals rounded, 190-218 ; anal divided ; sub- 

 caudals 52-76. Eed or pale reddish brown above, with dark 

 brown black-edged cross-bands ; a black streak along the middle 

 of the head, and another on each side, from the eye to the first 

 transverse band ; the whole or posterior part of body and tail 

 with two longitudinal black lines, in addition to the cross-bands ; 

 lower parts uniform yellow. 



Total length 760 millim. ; tail 140. 



Eastern Himalayas, hills of Assam, Burma, Tuunan, Malay 

 Peninsula, Sumatra. The type of Cantor's Fsammojihis niyro- 

 fasciutus is from Singapore. 



