ON THE COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 953 



posterior rather smaller. Costals — Two-headslengths behind the 

 head 17, midbody 17, two-headslengths before vent 15. In the 

 step from 1 7 to 15 the 4th row above the ventrals disappears, 

 being usually absorbed into the 3rd, sometimes into the 5th. 

 Keels present but rather indistinct, in all rows but the last one or 

 two posteriorly. Apical pits present, in pairs, but often obscure. 

 Ventrals — 200 to 213, angulate laterally. Anal — Entire. Subcau- 

 dals — 74 to 88 (90 Boulenger), divided. 



Dentition^ — Maxillary. — From 3 to 5 progressively increasing 

 teeth followed without a gap by 2 enlarged and subecjual which are 

 about twice the length of the last preceding. A gap that would take 

 about 3 small teeth, then 2 (rarely 3), small subequal teeth, followed 

 by 2 large and subequal which are about twice as long as the last 

 preceding. J Palatine — 13 to 15 subequal, and about the size of the 

 smallest maxillary. Pterygoid — 19 to 29, small, subequal to smallest 

 maxillary. Mandibular — 3 or 4, small, progressively increasing teeth 

 followed by two large and subequal, about twice the size of the 

 last preceding. A short gap that would take one small tooth, then 

 from 10 to 12 small subequal teeth. 



Anomalies. — I have seen the prefrontal touching the eye below 

 the prasocular once, 9 supralabials with the 4th, 5th, and 6th 

 touching the eye once, and the prasocular touching the frontal once. 



Our coloured Plate might be better. The yellow is too bright, 

 but I have seen examples nearly as bright. The iris is shown 

 much too bright. 



t From 4 skulls in my collection. 



X The distinction made by Mr. Boulenger between the genera Lycodon and 

 Dinodon (Catalogues Vol. I pp. 348 and 360) is not tenable. I find that in my 

 skulls of Dinodon ritfozonatus, D. septentrionalis and D. scmicar hiatus, there is no 

 greater gap just before the last enlarged teeth than there is in any of the 5 species 

 of Lycodon of which I have skulls. The figure of the dentition of Dinodon 

 ritfozonatus on page 360 is not correct. On examining my two skulls it is obvious 

 that a tooth has dropped out where the gap is shown in Mr. Boulenger' s figure, 

 and has so escaped his notice. I think, however, that the two genera deserve 

 recognition as such on other grounds, for I find in my three species of Dinodon 

 there is a smaller tooth behind the last t tvo enlarged ones, and this is represented 

 in Mr. Boulenger"s figure. This small third tooth is not present in any of my 

 Lycodon skulls, viz., aulicus, striatus, fasciatus, travancoricus, jara, and flavovma- 

 culatus. 



To be continued. 



