TROPIDONOTUS. 379 



smooth, in twenty-one rows, some with a pair of very indistinct apical 

 grooves. Veutrals2]9. Anal bifid. Sub-caudals 120. Abdomen with 

 a slight ridge on each side. 



Colour yellowish olive, with a single series of round brown spots, 

 edged with black along the anterior half of the trunk; the spots 

 become indistinct posteriorlyj and only the black edges remain, 

 forming cross bars on the back, but merely spots on the tail. A black- 

 ish streak across the snout. Crown of the head with two brown black- 

 edged cross bands, the anterior between and below the eyes, the 

 posterior across the occipitals, forming an acute angle on the vertical. 

 The first brown nuchal spot is produced forward within the limb of 

 the occipital cross band. An irregular series of black spots on each 

 side of the belly, which is yellow. Grows to 4 feet or more. 



Hah. — Sind, Concan (Bombay) and the Deccan (Poona), 



Tropidonotus, Kuhl. 



Body cylindrical. Head distinct from neck, flat. Cleft of the mouth 

 wide. Eye of moderate size, or rather large, with round pupil. Nostril 

 lateral, between two plates. Shields of head regular. Loreal always 

 present. Two small anterior frontals, acute-angled in front, and forming 

 together an isosceles. Scales keeled. Ventrals rounded, considerably 

 less than 200 in number. Anal bifid. Teeth numerous in the jaws, 

 equal, except the posterior in the upper jaw, which is longest. 



Distribution world-wide. 



Tropidonotus quincunciatus, ScMeg. Esa. pi. 12, f. 4,5 ; D. ei 

 B. vii. p. 592. Trop. umbratus, Cantor, Mai. Rep. p. 89; Qunth. Rep. 

 Br. Incl. p. 260; Theoh. Cat. Rep. Brit, Ind. p. 174; Murray, Hclbk., 

 Zool., 4 c, Sind, p 260. 



Head and tail of moderate length. Body rather stout. Eye small. 

 Scales keeled in 19 rows. Ventrals 129-146. Sub-caudals 64-80. 

 Anterior frontals pointed in front. One pree-ocular just reaching the 

 upper surface of the crown; three (exceptionally four) post-oculars. 

 Loreal large, square. Nine upper labials, the fourth and fifth entering 

 the orbit, the seventh and eighth largest. Temporals 2+2. Colouration 

 varies exceedingly. Generally two oblique black streaks behind the 

 eye ; the upper crosses the temporal plates and the eighth labial ; the 

 lowei', the inferior post-orbital, running along the suture of the sixth 

 and seventh labials. Upper parts greyish, brownish or greenish olive, 

 with from 3 to 7 rows of black spots down the body in quincuncial 

 order. Sides sometimes with a series of scarlet spots, separated by 

 black cross bars. 



Hab. — Sind, and throughout India, Ceylon, Assam, Pegu, Mesopo- 

 tamia to S. China. Inhabits rivers and pools, feediug on frogs and 

 fishes. Attains 40 inches. 



Tropidonotus stolatus, Linn. Mus. Ad. Fried, t. 22, fig. 1, and 

 ^yst. Nat. 1. p. 379 ; Boie. Isis, 1827, 535. Amphiesma stolatum, 

 D. el B, vii. p. 727. 



