A POPULAR TREATISE ON THE COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 787 



Postoculars. — Two. Temporals. — Two, elongate. Swpralabials. — 

 Normally 9 with the 5th and 6th touching the eye*. Infra- 

 labials. — 6, the 6th much the largest, as long on the 3 preceding 

 shields, in contact with two scales behind ; the 5th and 6th touch- 

 ing the posterior sublinguals. Sublinguals. — Two pairs ; the 

 posterior decidedly longer. Costals. — 15 at a point two heads- 

 lengths behind the head, and to well beyond midbody, when they 

 reduce to 13, and then to 11 or even 9, before the vent. The 

 reduction from 15 to 13 is due to the absorption of the 4th scale 

 above the ventrals into the row above or below ; that from 13 to 11 

 results from a fusion of the 5th and 6th rows above the ventrals ; 

 and when the number further reduces to 9, the 5th row is absorbed 

 into one of the adjacent rows. The vertebrals are enlarged, but 

 they are very distinctly longer than broad in midbody, they arise 

 in the neck by a fusion of 3 rows, thus differing from the genus 

 Bungarus, where they gradually develop from a single row pro- 

 gressively enlarging and unlike the genus Bungarus they cease 

 above the anus. The ultimate row is much enlarged considerably 

 exceeding the vertebral in breadth. Keels are absent everywhere. 

 Apical pits are present, and single. Ventrals. — 168 to 197, vary- 

 ing in number with locality f ; sharply ridged (keeled,) on each 

 side. Anal divided. Subcaudals divided, 115 to 146; keeled like 

 the ventrals. De7itilio7i.^. Maxillary. — 17 to 22: the first 3 or 4 

 progressively increasing, the posterior, 3 or 4 compressed and pro- 

 gressively decreasing, so that the last is about two-thirds the length 

 of the longest in the series. Palatine. — 11 to 14, subequal, and as 

 long as the longest mixillaiy. Pterygoid. — 19 to 24 (except the 

 Kil Kotagiri specimen which has 28 and 29) ; smaller than the 

 palatine. Mandibidar. — 20 to 26 (usually 20 to 22) ; the first 3 

 or 4 progressively increasing, the posterior gradually decreasing. 

 The length of the articular process equals the length from the 

 articular notch (see fig. A. 6.) to about the 4th tooth. 



This is so in 26 out of 29 specimens I have noted upon. In 2 instances these 

 shields are not recorded, and in a single example the 4th just touches the eye on 

 both sides. In one of the 26, there are 8 shields on one side only, the 4th and 5th 

 touching the eye. 



t In 19 specimens from various parts of India other than the Eastern Hima- 

 layas, they are 168 to 192. In 9 Eastern Himalayan examples they are 190 to 197 



t This is based on 10 skulls in my collection from Pashok (Eastern Himalayas) 

 Madras, Matheran, and Kil Kotagiri (Nilgiri Hills). 



