SNAKES. 205 



rounded and rather broad in front ; eye small, pu))il round (?). 

 Rostral shield small, rounded, hardly reaching the surface of 

 head ; anterior frontals small, convex ; posterior ones large, 

 coming into the orbit ; vertical large, forming an isosceles tri- 

 angle ; occipitals elongate, pointed and divergent behind ; super- 

 ciliaries small, two posterior oculars, no anterior one ; loreal 

 nearly as long as anterior frontal, forming a part of orbit ; two 

 very small nasals, nostril between ; seven upper labials, third 

 and fourth coming into the orbit ; first pair of lower labials 

 forming a suture behind the terminal labial ; only one pair of 

 large chin-shields ; three larger temporal shields, several smaller 

 ones behind. Scales smooth, rhomboid, in seventeen rows ; anal 

 entire ; subcaudals two-rowed. Crown uniform greyish brown, a 

 lighter occipital spot, a larger of black colour behind ; spots of 

 the dorsal series, some triangular, some band-like, some qua- 

 drangular ; on the sides smaller irregular spots ; beneath uniform 

 yellowish. Anterior teeth in a continuous series with the follow- 

 ing. Length of cleft of mouthy"; length of tail 1^'; total 

 lensth 13i". 



10. Leptorhytaon, Gunther. 



Lycodon with moderate, rounded body and short tail ; head 

 depressed, pointed in front ; pupil elliptical, erect ; rostral shield 

 obliquely protruding, rather pointed above, just reaching the sur- 

 face of head ; anterior frontals rather larger, posterior smaller 

 than in Lycophidion; vertical three-sided; one nasal shield, 

 pierced by the nostril ; one very large, elongate loreal, pointed 

 behind, and coming into the orbit ; one anterior ocular, situated 

 above the loreal, two posterior ones. Scales smooth, rather 

 elongate, rhomboid, in seventeen rows, those of the back equal. 

 Anal bifid ; subcaudals two-rowed. India. 



Lycodon, sp., Schleg. Homalopsis, sp., Boie. Coluber, sp., 

 Merr., Shaw. 



1. Leptorhytaon jara. 



Jara-Potoo, Russell, Ind. Serp. i. t. 14. Coluber jara, Shaw, 

 Zool. iii. p. 525. Coluber linnsei, Merr. Tent. p. 98. Homalopsis 

 jara, Boie, Isis, 1827, p. 551. Lycodon jara, Schleg. Ess. ii. 

 p. 110. 



Each scale brown with two whitish points, separated by a 

 brown longitudinal streak along the centre; a whitish collar, 

 more conspicuous in younger individuals; beneath uniform 

 whitish. 



