A POPULAR TREATISE ON INDIAN SNAKES. 7 



Of the remaining ten, five are Whip-Snakes, and distinguished from 

 all other snakes by their horizontal pupil (see Figs. 7, 8 and 9). Their 

 tails are extremely long and slender, measuring more than a quarter 

 and in some species (mycterizans and prasimis) even more than a 

 third of the total length of the snake. Should the head be damaged, 

 the dorsal scales which number 15 in the anterior, and middle parts of 

 the body, and 13 to 11 in the posterior part will suffice to proclaim the 

 specimen a whip-snake, and the species may often be guessed at from 

 the habitat. 



(4) Dryophis mycterizans, — Has been already described. 



(5) i Dryophis fronticinctus (see Fig. 8). — Has like the last only one 

 labial (the 5th or 6th) touching the eye, but has 3 or 4 loreals, and no 

 nasal appendage. It grows to about 3 feet, takes readily to water, and 

 is found on trees and bushes about rivers in Assam and Burma where 

 it is often locally abundant (Moulmein and Rangoon rivers). 



(6) D. dispar (see Fig. 9). — Resembles the preceding in having only 

 one labial (the 5th usually) touching the eye, but differs in the absence 

 of a nasal appendage and in having one or two loreals. It grows little 

 more than two feet and has been recorded from hills in Travancore 

 (Ferguson), and the Anamallays in S. India. 



(7) D. perroteti — Is distinguished from the rest of the Whip-Snakes 

 in that two labials (the 4th and 5th) touch the eye. It grows to 

 about 2 feet, and inhabits the Nilgiri Hills and N. Canara. 



(8) D. prasimis (see Figs. 6 and 7). — This differs from the other 

 Whip-Snakes in having three labials (the 4th, 5th and 6th) in contact 

 with the eye. Its length exceeds 5 feet, and it is found in the Eastern 

 Himalayas, Hills of Assam, and also in Burma where it is more 

 abundant in the upper than the lower part of the Province, and is not 

 confined to uplands. 



The remaining five snakes agree in having the pupil rounded in con- 

 tour, they are — 



(9) M acropistlxoAon plumbkolor (see Figs. 3, 4, 5) which has been 

 dealt with in this article. If the head is intact the labials which num- 

 ber 7, of which the 3rd and 4th touch the eye, will suffice to separate 

 this from all the rest. The frontal is in contact with 6 shields. Should 

 the head be too mutilated to observe these, the dorsal scales must be 

 counted and will be found to number 23 to 25 in the anterior and middb 

 parts of the body, and 19 to 17 posteriorly. If in addition the median 



