248 MAJOR F. WALL, I.MS., C.M.ZS. 
the species of this family, the suture when present running to the second supra- 
labial. ‘The ventrals are very small and few, and the costals are juxtaposed 
everywhere. 
Description.—R ostral,—touches four shields, the portion visible above is about 
one-third, or less than one-third the internasal suture. Prefrontals,—touch the 
second supralabial. Frontal,—entire, touches six shields; the fronto-parietal 
sutures are longest, the fronto-preefrontal shortest. Parietal s,—entire. Nasals,— 
touch the first and second supralabials, a suture from the nostril runs to the first 
supralabial ; sometimes other sutures radiating from the nostril divide this shield into 
two or three segments, one of which may resemb!e a loreal (hence the /oreata of Gray 
and Giinther). Praoculars,—one. Postoculars,—one, two, or three. ‘Tem- 
porals,—two, three, or four small superposed shields. Supralabials,—seven or 
eight, the third and fourth usually touch the eye (rarely the fourth or fifth only, or the 
third and fifth). Infralabials,—the fourth is the largest of the series, and in con- 
tact with three or four scales behind. Marginals,—a more or less complete row be- 
hind the second infralabial. Sublinguals,—small or absent. Costals,—an- 
teriorly 26 to 32, midbody 27 to 37, posteriorly 27 to 34; juxtaposed everywhere ; 
the lowest three or four rows enlarged. Ventrals,—r30 to 200, smaller than the 
last costal row. 
Colour.—Olivaceous-grey or yellowish with distinct though ill-defined blackish 
bands, or dorsal bars, the latter often confluent vertebrally. 
Habitat.—The Coromandel Coast of India (Puri), through the Ma'ayan Archi- 
pelago to New Guinea. It is rare in the Bay of Bengal, but appears to be not uncom- 
mon about the Philippines. 
The post-maxillary teeth are grooved. 
HY DRUS: 
HypDRUS PLATURUS (Linnzeus). 
Anguis platura, Linn., Sys. Nat., 1766, i, p. 391. 
‘‘ Nalla Wahlagillee pam,’’ Russell, Ind. Serp., 1796, 1, pl. xli. 
Pelamis bicolor, Daudin, Rept., 1803, vii, p. 366, pl. Ixxxix. 
% e Gray, Cat., 1849, p. 41. 
e < Giinther, Rept. Brit. Ind., 1864, p. 382. 
be sf Favrer, Thanatoph. Ind., 1874, pl. xvii. 
u ornata, Gray, Cat., 1849, p. 43. 
Hydrophis bicolor, Jan, Icon. Gén., 1872, 40, pls. ii and in. 
Hydrus platurus, Boulgr. in Blanford, Fauna Ind. Rept. and Batrach., 1890, p. 
397, and Cat., ili, 1896, p. 267. 
. Ss Sclater, List Snakes Ind. Mus., 1891, p. 62. 
Wall in Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1903, pp. 95 and ror, and in 
Journ. Bomb. Nat. Hist. Soc., xvi, p. 310, and in Spol. Zeylan., 
August 1907, p. 166. 
