BUXGAEUS. 199 



Dipsadomorphus dendrophilus. Laidlaw says (P. Z. S. 1901, ii, 

 p. 580) the Malay of Biserat call the two by the same uaine ( Ulat- 

 Katam tabic), but they appear to distiuguish them to some extent, 

 regarding the Dipsadomorphus as uou-poisonous, or at any rate not 

 so poisonous as the Bunr/arus. Ridley (Journ. Str. Br. Asiat. Soc. 

 1899, p. 200) has observed it near the sea, in tidal waters. This 

 species feeds, like the Krait, chiefly on other snakes, althougii 

 occasionally on mice, lizards, and toads, even on fish. 



According to Col. Evans (Journ. N. H. Soc. Bombay, xvi, p. 519, 

 1902), the eggs, 8 in number, are incubated by the mother, who 

 secretes herself in a hole for the purpose. 



219. Bungarus candidus. 



Coluber candidus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 384 (17G6). 

 Pseudoboa ccerulea, Schneid. Hist. Amph. ii, p. 284 (1801). 

 Bmu/arns cceruleus, Daiul. Hist. Eept. v, p. 270, pi. Ixv, hg. 2 (1803) ; 



Giiutli. Kept. ]3rit. Ind. p. 343 (1864) ; Fayrer, Thanatoph. lud. 



pi. X (1874) ; Bouleng. Faun. Brit. Ind., Kept. p. 388 (1890). 

 Buiu/itrus semifasciatus, Boie, Isis, 1827, p. 552 ; Giiiith. op. cit. 



p. 344. 

 Bumjarus candidus, Cantor, Jouni. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, xvi, p. 1034 



(1847) ; Bouleng. Cat. Sn. iii, p. 368 (1896) ; S. Flower, P. Z. S. 



1899, p. 689. 



llostral broader than deep ; frontal longer than broad, as long 

 as its distance from the end of the snout, shorter than the parie- 

 tals ; one pree- and two postaculars ; temporals 1 + 1 or 1 + 2; 

 7 upper labials, third and fourth entering the eye. Scales in 15 

 rows, vertebrals much enlarged, broader than long on the hinder 

 half of the body. Yentrals 195-237 ; anal entire ; subcaudals 

 single, 37-56. Dark brown or purplish black above, with narrow 

 ■white cross-bands or transverse series of small white spots often 

 in pairs ; lower parts white or pale yellow. Iris black. The Malay 

 Archipelago specimens belong to the var. ccer ideas, which, is regarded 

 as distinct from the typical form (from Java and Celebes) by some 

 authors. 



Total length llUO millim. ; tail 150. 



India, Burma, and Southern China to j\Ialay Peninsula and 

 Archipelago. 



The Krait, as this very deadly snake is called in India, appears 

 to be of very rare occurrence in the Malay Peninsula, AA'here it is 

 on record from Penang and Kedah, while the Selaugor Museum 

 possesses specimens from near Kuala Lumpur. It bears a decep- 

 tive similarity in form and coloration to the harmless Li/codon 

 auUcas. The poison of this and the preceding species of Bungarus 

 is similar to that of the Cobra, acting chiefly on the central 

 nervous system, death resulting from failure of the respiratory 

 •mechanism, probably owing to a direct action of the venom on the 

 respiratory centre in the medulla oldomjata. Although the true 

 Krait is small and injects only a comparatively small quantity of 



