I-ACHESIS. ^17 



Eastern Himalayas, Bengal, Assam, Burma, Andamans, Nico- 

 bars, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra. Eecorded from Penang and 

 Singapore, and very common on the small islands round the 

 Malay Peninsula, but rarely il^ ever met with on the mainland. 

 On Singapore, according to Ridley, it seems always to reside on 

 the sea-shore, hiding under rocks or basking in the sun, 



235. Lachesis gramineus. 



Coluber (jramineus, Sliaw, Zool. iii, p. 420 (1802). 

 Triqonocephalus (jramineus, part., Cantor, Jouvn. Asiat. See. Bengal, 



xvi, p. 1040 (1847). 

 Trimeresurus qramineus. Giinth. Rept. Brit. Ind. p. 385 (1834) ;, 



Bouleng. Faun. Brit. Ind., Rept. p. 429 (1890). 

 Triineresurus erythrurus, Giinth. op. cit. p. 386. 

 Lachesis gramineus, Bouleng. Cat. Sn. iii, p. o54 (1896) ; S. Flower, 



P. Z. S. 1899, p. mn ; Wall, Journ. Nat. Hist. Soc. Bombay, xvi, 



p. 536, pi. i, tigs. 1-4 (1905). 



Snout without distinct canthus. Eostral as deep as broad or 

 a little broader than deep; upper head-scales small, smooth, im- 

 bricate or siibimbricate, 8 to 13 in a transverse series between the 

 supraoculars, which are narrow (rarely divided) ; 2 or 3 post- 

 oculars and a subocular ; usually 1 or 2 (rarely 3) series of scales 

 between the subocular and the labials ; 8 to 12 upper labials,, 

 second forming the anterior border of the loreal pit, third largest. 

 Scales in 21 (rarely 19 or 23) rows, smooth or more or less dis- 

 tinctly keeled. Ventrals 150-175; anal entire; subcaudals 52- 

 75 pairs. Tail prehensile. Bright green above, rarely olive or 

 yellowish, with or without ill-detined blackish cross-bands ; usually 

 a light, white or yellow streak along the outer row of scales ; end 

 of tail often yellow or red; lower parts green, yellow, or whitish. 



Total length 870 millim. ; tail 150. 



Himalayas, Bengal, and Southern China to Malay Peninsula 

 and Ai'chipelago. Generally distributed, and common in most 

 parts of the Peninsula. 



It is usually found on bushes or trees, often concealed in the 

 dense foliage ; feeds on small mammals, lizards, birds, and frogs 

 and toads. Its bite is considered as not very dangerous. It 

 produces 7 to 12 young. 



230, Lachesis sumatranus. 



Coluber siinudranus, Raffles, Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 334 (1822). 

 Lachesis sumatranus, Bouleng. Cat. Sn. iii, p. 557 (1896). 



Head rather elongate. Eostral as deep as broad or a little 

 broader than deep ; upper head-scales rather large, flat, smooth, 

 imbricate or subimbricate, largest on the snout, 4 to 9 in a trans- 

 verse series between the supraoculars, which are large ; 2 or 3 

 postoculars and a subocular, which is in contact with the third or 



