780 JOURNAL, BOM HA V NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIX. 



the species from others in these two genera. Only 6 of these have 

 15 rows of scales in midbody, and the differences between them 

 will be seen at a glance at the following table: — 



The most important characters to distinguish tristis from its allies 

 are the narrow vertebrals in which the length very distinctly 

 exceeds the breadth, and only two labials touching the eye. To 

 sum up then any snake in which the vertebrals are enlarged, but 

 obviously longer than broad, with ridged ventrals, 15 scale rows in 

 midbody, (i.e., between snout and vent) and two labials touching 

 the eye is Dend/relaphis tristis. 



Haunts. — The common Indian bronze-back like all its allies lives 

 almost entirely in bushes and trees. I became most familiar with it 

 in Trichinopoly in my early Indian days, when I spent a good deal 

 of my leisure time birdsnesting. During my daily excursions I 

 frequently came across it, and have indeed met as many as three or 

 four in a single outing. I frequently discovered it lying on a 

 branch, when peering through low scrub, and if the snake lay still 

 the chances were it would escape detection, looking extremely like 

 a small branch itself. There is no doubt that its colouration is 

 decidedly protective. 



An observation of Mr. E. E. Green in a recent letter exemplifies 

 this. He says — on the 8th of September 1 903, he " placed a branch 

 with green foliage in the snake's cage. Formerly all the different 

 snakes coiled up together amongst the dry foliage of a dead branch, 

 but now they have sorted themselves, the green whip snakes 

 (Dryophis mycterizans) have moved on to the green branch while 

 the Tropidonotus and Dendrophis (Dend/relaphis, F. W.) — both brown 

 snakes have remained on the dead branch." 



