32 



Colouring — Bright, uniform green throughout. In 

 young specimens there is a broad, yellow, 

 black- margined > collar ; narrow black cross- 

 bars with alternate black spots and alternate 

 white interstitial cross-lines. 

 These colours are not, in my experience, present 

 in the adult, though traces of them can be 

 made out in many specimens. 

 Habitat — Very common in Central and South India. 



THE WHIP SNAKE {Dryophis mycterizans or perroteti).* 



Length — Grows to six feet. The tail is often nearly as 



long as the body. 

 Shape — Head : elongate, distinct. The snout is very 

 long and ends in a flexible appendage. 

 Body and tail are elongate, compressed and 



excessively slender and long. 

 Eye : large ; pupil, horizontal. 

 Bead shields — The nostril is in a single nasal. The 

 prse-ocular region is concave. There is no 

 loreal. 

 Scales — 15, smooth, narrow and much imbricate. The 

 vertebral series are slightly larger than the 

 others and fanshaped. 

 Ventrals- -17 2 to 188; anal entire. Sub-caudals 140 — 



166, slightly keeled. 

 Colouring — Grassgreen, with yellow lateral stripe ; 

 paler below. Black and white cross-bands on 

 the interstitial skin. 

 Habitat — Common in most parts of India. 

 '. Note. — In the Nilgiri Hills the Whip Snake is slightly 

 different. The tapering snout has no flexible appendage. 



* i'asserita Mi/ctcrizans—thti Common tireeu Tree Snake (Kicholaon;. 



