1014 JOURNAL, BOMBA Y NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXI, 



bility is suggested by the pair found " in copula" in Bangalore, 

 and brought to me on the 27th of August. These were observed 

 united reclining on a bamboo stem 8 or 10 feet above the ground. 

 On the evening of the 26th an attempt was made to capture them, 

 but not pressed as the snakemen feared they would not earn 

 their reward of Rs. 5 if they separated. They were successfully 

 captured next morning and brought to me still united, and I had 

 them under observation for some time. As far as [ know they 

 did not disengage for at least 25i hours. During this time I 

 repeatedly examined them, and found the left clasper of the male 

 engaged with the right orifice of the female. The ventral apposi- 

 tion of the two was so limited that nobody seeing them together 

 would have suspected that they were coupled. They each lay in 

 sinuous courses without their bodies or their tails being enwreathed 

 and there was nothing demonstrative in their attachment as far a> 

 I could see at any time. Unfortunately the union was unfruitful. 

 due, I believe, to my moving north to the United Provinces im- 

 mediately after. The cold weather so far depressed the natural 

 vigour of a Macropisthodon plumbicolor I also took from Banga- 

 lore with me. that a frog it swallowed remained undigested for some 

 weeks and was subsequently disgorged and when the snake died 

 •"> months and 6 days subsequently to its capture it was found U> 

 be gravid with the impregnated follicles but little enlarged, and 

 much in the same state as the impregnated follicles of the schistosus 

 at death. The period of gestation is not known. 



Eggs. — The species is known to be oviparous from a cluster of 

 eggs which Tennent* refers to which was found near a river in ( Vy- 

 lon, and from which 20 young snakes subsequently emerged. I n- 

 fortunately he does not give the date of their birthday. I had a 

 gravid specimen sent me from Ceylon containing 10 eggs nearly 

 one inch long but the date of capture Mas not recorded. M \ 

 impregnated $ referred to above had 18 follicles enlarged. From 

 these events it appears that schistosus is moderately productive. 



Young. — The smallest specimens I have had both from Ceylon, 

 measured 6§ and GJ inches, and from their appearance I believe 



Nat. Pfist. of Ceylon, p. 308. 



