16 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVlll, 



Distribution. — Throughout the whole Indian Empire from Ceylon in 

 the South to the Himalayas in the North. In the West it extends into 

 Sind, and in the East to the furthest borders of Burma. Its dis- 

 tribution within these limits is, however, capricious. Irrespective of 

 moderate altitudes it is extremely common in certain parts whilst it is 

 extremely rare or absent in others. 



In some parts of the Punjab it is very abundant. Fayrer tells us that 

 at Umritsar in 1866 as many as 471 specimens were brought in for 

 rewards in a single day. 



Mr. Millard tells me it is very common about Bombay. 1 found it so 

 on tha same coast at Cannanore, and B'erguson still further south at 

 Travancore. Haly and Ferguson say the same as regards Cfylon, and 

 Tennent and Bassett-Smith especially mention Trincomalee in that 

 Island. I found it abundant about Trichinopoly, and in the Central 

 Provinces. Judging from the plethora of local names for it in Bengal 

 mentioned by Fayrer, Ewart, Richards, and others it is probably 

 comnvm in parts of that Province. I am inclined to think, however, it 

 is chiefly so in the Eastern parts of Bengal. 



In Burma, Theobald remarks on its abundance in the Tharrawaddy 

 district, and about Rangoon, and I can fully confirm this statement. In 

 some parts of Upper Burma, notably Mahlaing, Magwe, and Myo-thit, 

 it is so abundant in the crops that the natives make themselves special 

 grass shoes as a protection. 



It is by no means confined to the plains, occurring plentifully in 

 many upland regions, and has been met with up to 7.0( feet. From 

 Ceylon I obtained specimens from Hakgalla (5,700 feet). Ferguson 

 says it is not uncommon in the hills of Travancore. Mr. Henderson 

 tells me he met with it in the Nilgiris at 6,000 feet, and that it was 

 fairly common in the Palneys at 7,000 feet. Father Gombert writes 

 to me that it is common at certain seasons in the Palneys up to 6,i'00 

 feet. Stoli'-zka records it from Kashmir up to 6,000 feet. 



On the other hand Nicholson says it is rare in Mysore, Richards in 

 Bengal, referring, I think, to the Western Parts. In two years in the 

 United Provinces (Fyzabad) out of many hundreds of specimens of 

 snakes I never saw one daboia. Colonel Pratt and Mr. Oakes, both 

 for many years familiar with these Provinces, had never seen or heard 

 of it except at SSitapur. About Delhi I never saw or heard of one, 

 though I have good authority for stating that it is very common about 



