38 



THE POISONOUS SNAKES OF INDIA. 



In all three varieties the head is black with a very well defined, 

 enamel white hand across the head. 



In variety (jorei the black hus a rather brown tinge. 



CALLOFEIS TBI^ACULATT7S-Tlie Slender Coral Snake. 



Identification. — Diflers from others of this group in combining the 

 2 following characters. The anal shield is divided {see fig. 9 E) and 

 there are 6 supralabials. 



Supplementary charac- 

 ter.^, — Proefrontals touch 

 the internasal, posterior 

 nasal, praeoctilar, supra- 

 ocular, and frontal. Tem- 

 poral 1, touching the 

 5th and 6th supralabials. 

 Supralabials 6. Anterior 

 sublinguals touch 4 infra- 

 labials. Posterior sublin- 

 guals touch the 4th infra- 

 labial. Infralabials. — The 

 4th is the largest of the 

 seri^^s, and touches 2 scales 

 behind. Scales in 13 

 rovv's in w^hole body. 

 . Ina^ divided. Siibcaudals 

 divided throughout. 



Distribution. — An un- 

 FiB. 2i.-Caiiophis trimacuiatus ( X c). common snake recorded 



from Coylon =^ S, India, Deccan, Kanara, Bengal, and Burmah. 



Poison^ — Nothing known. 



J)ime7isiims.—0i: very slender form. Grows to 13 inches. 



Colour.— Light yellowish-brown. Head and neck black. Tail with 

 two black rings. Belly coral pink. 



* I examined one in the Colombo Museum from Tisf amaharana 20 miles N. E. of Ham- 



baiitota. 



