ON THE COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 625 



Gostals — Two headslengths behind the head 19, midbody 19, two 

 headslengths before the vent 17. The rows diminish by a fusion 

 of the 3rd and 4th rows above the ventrals at a point shortly 

 behind midbody. Keels present and strong in all but the last 

 row usually, which ma} 7 or may not have faint keels posteriorly. 

 Apical facets present in pairs, but often obscure. Ventrals — 

 Evenly rounded from side to side, 136 to 154 (120 to 161 

 Boulenger). Anal — Divided. Subcaudals — In pairs, 46 to 86 (89 

 Boulenger). 



Anomalies. — The supralabials and infralabials are subject to 

 frequent variation due to a confluence of shields, usually seen on 

 one side, but sometimes on both. Thus I have seen 6 supralabials 

 on one side in four specimens, the 2nd and 3rd touched the eye in 

 one, the 3rd only in two and the 3rd and 4th in one. I have 

 found 7 supralabials on one side twice of which the 4th alone 

 touched the eye. In thirteen specimens I have found 8 with the 

 4th and 5th only touching the eye, in four of these on both sides. 

 I once found 9 on one side of which the 4th, 5th and 6th touched 

 the eye. With the infralabials it is not infrequently that one sees 

 but 4 touching the anterior sublinguals instead of the normal 5. 

 On 7 occasions I have seen a double loreal on both sides, one super- 

 posed above the other, one specimen was from Rangoon, one from 

 Shillong, two from Trivandrum, and three from Dibrugarh. I have 

 found two anterior temporals on one side in three specimens, and 

 cnce this shield was confluent with the two supralabials below. In 

 one specimen I have seen two prseoculars, and in one other only two 

 postoculars. In three cases I have seen the 2nd supralabial on one 

 side slightly in contact with the nasal shield. I have once seen 

 three pairs of sublinguals, the normal anterior pair being divided. 



Dentition. — Maxillary. — 22 subequal teeth, separated h by a gap 

 behind — that would accommodate a similar tooth — from two sub- 

 equal, enlarged, and compressed teeth placed one behind the other 

 which are fully twice as long as any of the preceding. Palatine — 16 

 or 17, small, and subequal. Pterygoid — 31 decreasing in length 

 gradually behind. Mandibular — 31 to 32, subequal except behind 

 where they gradually diminish in size. 



Our Plate is disappointing in its colouring. The striping is 



