CALLOPHIS. 203 



as its distance from the eucl of the snout ; a pair of large occipital 

 shields ; one praeocular (rarely two) ; 3 postoculars ; temporals 

 2 + 2; 7 upper labials, third deepest, seveiitli longest, third and 

 fourth entering the eye. 19 or 21 scales across the neck, 15 across 

 the body, Ventrals 215-262; anal entire; subcaudals 80-117, 

 the anterior usually single. Yellowish or olive above, with or with- 

 out more or less distinct dark cross-bands or anuuli, or uniform 

 dark brou'n or blackish ; some young annulate black and yellow, 

 others blackish with a yellow spot on each scale. 



Total length 4500 niillim. 



India, Burma, and Southern China to Malay Peninsula and 

 Archipelago. Generally distributed throughout the Malay Penia- 

 sula, as common or comm.ouer thau the Cobra, but essentially a 

 jungle-haunting form. 



The King Cobra or Hamadryad is reputed to be the most 

 aggressive of all poisonous snakes, occasionally pursuing people. 

 It feeds almost entirely on other snakes. A specimen l-i| feet 

 long (which is about the average length of large specimens) is 

 preserved in the Perak Museum, according to Flower. 



On the habits of this snake in India, cf. G. H. Evans, Journ, 

 Nat. Hist. Soc. Bombay, xiv, 1902, p. 409. 



The venom of the King Cobra closely resembles that of its 

 congener, causing gradual paralysis throughout the body, death 

 taking place from interference with the respiratory apparatus. 



Genus CALLOPHIS. 

 Gray, 111. Ind. Zool. ii (1834). 



No small teeth behind the poison-fangs. Head small, not 

 distinct from neck ; eye small, with round pupil ; nostril between 

 two nasals ; no loreal. Body much elongate, slender ; scales 

 smooth, without pits, in 13 rows ; ventrals rounded. Tail short, 

 subcaudals in two rows. 



South-Eastern Asia. 



Two species in the Malay Peninsula : — 



Six upper labials ; veutrals 303-320 C. (jmcilis, p. 203. 



Seven upper labials ; ventrals 205-247 C. maculiceps, p. 204. 



223. Callophis gracilis. 



Grav, op. cit. pi. Ixxxvi, fi<?. 1 ; Glinth. Rept. Brit. Ind. p. 349 



(1864) ; Bouleng, Cat. Sn^iii, p. 396 (1896). 

 Elaps nif/roinaadatiis, Cantor, Journ. Asiat, Soc. Bengal, xvi, 



p. 1029, pi. xl, lig. 7 (1847). 



Eye minute, about half as long as its distance from the mouth. 

 ]-vostral broader than deep ; frontal as long as its distance from 

 the rostral or the end of the snout ; one pras- and two postoculars ; 

 a single temporal; Cupper labials, third and fourth entering the 



