POPULAR TREATISE ON COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 557 



and Simotes, because the hindmost maxillary teeth are remarkably 

 flattened (compressed) and their outline and blade-like character 

 remind one forcibly of a goorkhas kukri. (See Figs. D and E of 

 Diagram.) 



(c) Vernacular. — According to Russell " wanapa pam" is the name 

 applied to it by the natives about Vizagapatam. In Cannanore I heard 

 it called "choorta" a term under which Lycodon aulicus is also 

 confused. 



Dimensions. — Adults are usually from 15 to 18 inches in length. 

 The longest 1 know of is 1 foot 9^ inches from Hyderabad (Sind). 



General characters. — It is rather slender, and graceful in form and 

 noticeable in possessing no indication of a neck. The girth is wonder- 

 fully uniform in the whole body length, the trunk round in section and 

 smooth. The head is short, the muzzle truncate, and the eye small with 

 a golden iris, and round pupil. The tail is short accounting for about 

 one-seventh of the total length of the snake. 



Identification. — It is the only snake to be found in the Plains of the 

 Indian Peninsula in which the scale rows are 15 in the whole body 

 length, and the anal shield divided with three possible exceptions. In 

 Sind Contia ivalteri has been recorded a snake in which the subcaudals 

 number from 73 to 82 ; in suhgriseus they vary from 38 to 5G. In 

 the Himalayas from Simla to Darjeeling Ahlahes rappi occurs, ;i 

 mountain form which might straggle towards the adjacent Plains. 

 This snake has only 6 supralabials, but suhgriseus has 7. In Southern 

 India 0. ellioti may be confounded with it, but in possessing less 

 than 31 subcaudals can be at once distinguished. Farther it is 

 highly probable that this rare snake is a mountain form. It is only • 

 known from two specimens, the exact habitat in both instances not 

 being on record. 



In Ceylon it may be confused with its allies 0. suhlineatus, and 

 0. templetoni. In both these species however the subcaudals number 

 less than 35. 



Colour and markings. — Like many of the other snakes I have dealt 

 with in these papers, 0. suhgriseus presents considerable differences 

 in its colour and markings. Of the various forms I think four 

 deserve special mention but the fact that the first three of these are 

 completely connected shows they are all merely variations of a single 

 variety. The fourth form is, I think, probably a distinct species as 



