POPULAR TREATISE ON COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 295 



large specimen referred to above had eaten two fair-sized rats, and he 

 has found a field rat taken on another occasion. 



Breeding. — I know nothing of this, and can find no allusion to the 

 subject. 



Distribution, (a) Geographical. — Burma, Indo-China, Malay 

 Peninsula and Archipelago. 



It is only found in the lower part of the Burmese Province, prob- 

 ably not above the 20th parallel if indeed it reaches as far North as 

 this. In Indo-China it is only recorded from the South. In the 

 Malayan Peninsula it extends from Sumatra to Celebes. 



I do not credit South India as part of its habitat, the authority for 

 which rests on a single example from Trichinopoly now in the Indian 

 Museum. If the specimen came from there at all, I feel confident it 

 had been imported. 



(b) Local. — It is a snake of the Plaius and in Lower Burma is 

 quite one of the common species to be met with, about Cantonments 

 and the precincts of men as well as further afield. 



Lepidosis. Rostral. — Touches four shields only, viz,, the internasals 

 and first labials. Internasals. — Two, the suture between them about 

 one-third that between the prefrontal fellows, one-half or less than half 

 the internaso-prsefrontal sutures. Prcefrontals. — Two, the suture be- 

 tween them twice or more than twice the prsefronto-frontal suture ; in 

 contact with the internasal, nasal, praeocular, and frontal. Frontal. — 

 Touches 9 shields, the sutures with the lateral parietals longest, 

 the praeocular sutures are longer than the supraocular (another unique 

 character). Supraoculars. — About one-third as long, and one-fourth as 

 broad as the frontal. Parietals. — Three, a median posterior separat- 

 ing two lateral shields. Occipitals. — Two, placed behind the lateral 

 parietals ; not in contact. Nasals. — Two, the nostril is quite contained 

 in the anterior, and involves about the median two-fourths of the suture 

 between ; not in contact with the rostral ; touches the 1st, 2nd and 

 3rd labials. Loreal. — Absent. Prceocular.— One large, extensively 

 in contact with the frontal. Postoculars. — Two, the upper larger ; 

 almost unique in being as large or larger than the temporals. Tem- 

 porals. — Two. Supralabials. — 8, the 1st meets the internasal in front of 

 the nasals, the 4th and 5th touch the eye. Infralabials. — 3, the 3rd 

 largest and in contact with two scales behind. Sublinguals. — One pair. 

 Costals. — Two heads-lengths behind the head 15, midbody 15 ; two 



