ON THE COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 633 



2nd longest, then a short edentulous gap succeeded by two large 

 ungrooved teeth fully twice as long as the preceding. Behind these 

 is a short edentulous gap, then a series of 4 or 5 small, subequal, 

 teeth followed by a pair of obliquely set, grooved, fang-like, teeth 

 fully twice as long as the immediately preceding ones. Palatine. — ■ 

 7 to 10 small subequal teeth. Pterygoid. — 13 to 16 small and sub- 

 equal. Mandibular. — In front 2 small followed by two ungrooved 

 teeth fully twice as long as the preceding. After a short edentu- 

 lous gap 12 to 18 small subequal teeth. 



Plate. — Our coloured figures with one exception are very dis- 

 appointing. Fig. 6 gives a good illustration of the buff stripes as 

 seen in the posterior part of the body. 



Figs. 1, 2, 4, and 5 do not show the beauty of the vermilion 

 ornamentation as seen in life, this true being not only too dingy, 

 but too inconspicuous. In fig. 4 the belly should be pearly-white 

 and the throat a bright yellow. 



Fig. 3 is intended to represent a blue variety, but the blue is 

 not well shown. The black bars in figs. 1 and 3 are shown too 

 regular, those of each side more usually alternate, or, are broken 

 up often forming a chequering rather than barring. 



(To be continued.) 



