34 



Shape — Head : a moderately long, rounded snout. A 

 rather long, flat head, distinct from the slender 

 neck. 

 Body and tail very elongate, slender and com- 

 pressed. 

 Eye : large with round pupil ; iris yellowish. 



Head shields — Normal. 



Scales — 15, smooth and imbricate. The vertebral series 

 are larger than the rest and polygonal in shape. 



Ventrals—\%0 to 200 ; anal bifid. Sub-caudals 87—156, 

 double. 

 The ventrals have two keels at their ends and 

 are nearly square at these keels, i.e., the 

 ends of the ventrals make two straight lines, 

 one on each side of the belly. 



Co/owrm^— Rather variable. Either deep blue with a 

 bright yellow lateral stripe ; ventrals yellowish, 

 with a lateral spot at regular intervals. Or, 

 bronze with blue margins to the scales under 

 the imbrication, belly yellow and dark lateral 

 stripe from eye to vent. 



Habitat — India and Burma. 



THE GOLDEN TREE SNAKE {Chrysopelea ornata). 



Length — Grows to four feet, tail one-quarter. 



Shape — Similar to the Bronze- back Tree Snake. It is 



slender and elongate, but less so than some 



other tree snakes. 

 Head shields — Normal. 

 Scales — 17, smooth, rhombic in shape, imbricate. 



Vertebral row not enlarged. 

 Ventrals— ISO to 236 ; anal bifid. Sub-caudals 96—147. 

 Ventrals have two sharp keels with a notch at 



