216 YIPERIDiE. 



smooth, in 21 to 25 (rarely 27) rows. Ventrals 132-158 ; anal: 

 entire ; subcaudals 21-57 pairs. Tail not prehensile. Brown or 

 yellowish above, with one or two dorsal series of large squarish 

 dark brown spots, and a lateral series of smaller spots ; head dark 

 brown above, pale brown or yellowish on the sides, with a dark 

 brown temporal streak ; lower parts whitish, powdered or spotted 

 with brown, the brown spots sometimes confluent into two 

 stripes. 



Total length 740 millim. ; tail 115, 



Tibet, Himalayas, hills of Assam, Burma, and the Malay 

 Peninsula, Sumatra. Eecorded from Penaug and Singapore, and 

 known from the Larut Hills, Perak. The type-specimen of 

 Stoliczka's T. convichis was found near the top of the western hill 

 of Penang (about 2400 feet), and was stepped upon by an old 

 convict coolie, who was bitten in the left foot. The man sucked 

 his wound, and was given some brandy, and escaped from the 

 accident without any ill effects, without even a swelling of the 

 foot. L. moniicola is one of the few Viperine snakes which lays 

 eggs instead of being ovoviviparous, some 10 eggs forming a cluster 

 {cf. G. A. Miller, Journ. Nat. Hist. Soe. Bombay, xv, p. 729, 1904). 



234. Lachesis purpureomaculatus. 



T7-iffiniocpphalus pw-pu7-eo7naci(Iattis, Gray, 111. Ind. Zool. i, pl.lxxxi 



(1832). 

 Triqonoc.ephaliis piimceus (nou Reinw.), Cautor, Journ. Asiat. Soc. 



Bengal, xvi, p. 1043 (1847). 

 Triineresvrus carmatus, Giiutli. Rept. Biit. Ind. p. 386 (1864); 



Fayrer, Thanatopli. Ind, pi. xiii (1874). 

 Trimeresurus 2}i'i'pw'6us, Giinth. op. cit. p. .387. 

 Trimei-esuvnspurpureoviaciilatus, Bouleng'. Faun. Brit. Ind., Rept. 



p. 429(1890). 

 Lachesis jmrptireomaculatus, Bouleng. Cat. Sn. iii, p. 553 (1896) ; 



S. Flower, P. Z. S. 1896. p. 896 ; Ridley, Jouru. Straits Branch 



Roy. Asiat. Soc. no. 32, 1899, p. 203. 



E-ostral as deep as broad ; upper head-scales very small, juxta- 

 posed, convex or obtusely keeled ; supraocular ver}- narrow, some- 

 times broken up into scales ; 12 to 15 scales in a transverse hue 

 between the supraoculars ; 2 or 3 small postoculars and a sub- 

 ocular, which is separated from the labials by 2 or 3 series o£ 

 scales ; 11 to 13 upper labials, fourth and succeeding small, first 

 usually fused with the nasal, second usually forming the anterior 

 border of the loreal pit. Scales strongl)' keeled, in 25 or 27 rows. 

 Ventrals 160-182 ; anal entire ; subcaudals 55-76 pairs. Tail 

 slightly prehensile. Dark purplish brown or blackish, uniform 

 or variegated with pale green : flanks usually pale green or 

 spotted with pale green; olive or greenish white below, uniform 

 or spotted with black ; some specimens uniform green. 



Total length 980 millim. ; tail 150. 



