604 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XX. 



identity is no1 known. Bole in 1 S'2C> applied the title to our 

 common English grass snake (natrix) which is therefore the type 

 of the genus. Amphiesma from the Greek meaning " a garment 

 was initialed by Dumeril and Bibron in L854, and applied to t lii- 

 snake under discussion, viz., stolatus which is therefore tin' type. 

 It is difficult tit realise that anyone who has viewed the skulls of 

 natrix and stolatus side by side can doubt the justification for 

 dissociating them generically. In the former the maxillary teeth 

 form an uninterrupted series, the last three or four of which 

 progressively increase in size, luti are none of them twice as long 

 as the teeth in the middle of the jaw, see figure A. In stolatus there 

 is a gap at the back of the jaw. succeeded by two subequal 

 enlarged teeth fully twice as long as those a1 midmaxilla, see 

 figure B. in fact the very condition which led Mr. Boulenger t>> 

 separate three species previously included in Tropidonotus, under a 

 new genus which he called Macropisthodon. See figure ('. The 

 specific name from the Latin meaning " dressed." and implying 

 " decked r ' originated with Linne in 1766. There is little doubt 

 that the snake ought to be known scientifically as Amphiesm,a 



si 1 ,1,1 I lis. 



(b) English. — The •• buff-striped keelback;'' is. I think, the 

 most descriptive name for it. or for brevity " buff stripes." 



(c) Vernacular. —Russell mentions "wanna pam," " wanapa 

 pam," and " wanna cogli," as names by which it is known in South 

 India. These are Telugm names derived from " vana rain. The 

 firsl two mean simply " rain snake." lite second being the 

 adjectival form of the first. Mr. Millard tells me that about 

 Bombay it is called " wana kukroo " and " nanati." I heard 

 it called " therlian " by the Malabaris about Cannanore. Colonel 

 Dawson tells me it is called " churrutay " in Travancore, a 

 word derived from " churul * : a " coil." but the same name is 

 applied to Lycodon, Si,,i<il>:-< and other snakes. In Ceylon* 

 Ferguson says it is called " ahara-kukka " and Mr. E. E. Green 

 confirms this and tells me the words are Singhalese, the latter 

 meaning •■ doo-.'* and the former ••food,"' but 1 he name thus 



Rept. Fauna. Ceylon, }>a^e 20. 



