POPULAR TREATISE ON COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 291 



Identification. — If the following points are sought for in the order 

 herein given, there can be no mistake in recognising it. (1) The 

 scales in the middle of the body are in 15 rows. (2) The prefrontal 

 besides touching its fellow and the frontal meets 5 other shields, viz., 

 the internasal, postnasal, loreal, preocular, and supraocular. (3) 

 The loreal touches the eye. (See outline figure Diagram.) 



It is a much more uncommon snake than nymplia, there being but 

 two examples in the British Museum both of which I have examined. 

 I collected two others at Berhampore in Orissa, and have seen a fifth 

 in the Indian Museum which was referred by Sclater to its ally 

 davisoni. This is recorded doubtfully from False Island, Arrakan, a 

 most unlikely locality for it to have been collected in. The British 

 Museum specimens are from the Anamallay and ( 'uddapah Hills. The 

 only other specimens I knowof are two recorded from (Jeylon by Haly,* 

 one of which he described as a distinct species under the title 

 fergusonii. One of my specimens fell from a verandah roof one evening- 

 after dinner into the middle of a family circle. It was captured and 

 sent to me, and at first sight I took it to be a young krait. The longest 

 specimen I know of is one of mine which was 1 foot 11^ inches. 



Lepidosis. Rostrcd. — Touches 6 shields, the rostro-internasal 

 sutures rather longer than the rostro-nasal. Inter nasals. — -Two ; the 

 suture between them from three-fourths to equal to that between the 

 prefrontal fellows, equal to or rather less than the internaso-pre- 

 frontal sutures. Prmfrontals. — Two ; the suture between them three- 

 fourths to equal to the priefronto-frontal, in contact with the internasal, 

 postnasal, loreal, praeocular and supraocular. Frontal. — Touches (J 

 shields, the supraocular sutures longest, nearly or quite twice the 

 fronto-parietals. Supraocidars. — Length subequal to, breadth about 

 half that of the frontal. Nasals. — More or less divided, in contact 

 with the 1st and 2nd supralabials. Loreal. — One, rather longer 

 than the nasals, twice as long as high ; touches the eye. Prceocular. 

 — One. Postoculars. — Two. Temporals. — Two. Supralabials — 7 ; 

 the 3rd and 4th touching the eye. Infralabials. — 5, the 5th largest, 

 and in contact with 2 or 3 scales behind. The suture between the first 

 about half that between the anterior sublinguals. Sublinguals. — Two 

 pairs ; the posterior rather shorter than the anterior, in contact with 



* Taprobanian III, 1880, p. 51. 



