630 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXV 



but would not bite any object with which I attempted to irritate 

 it. It merely flattened its body posteriorly, and when I picked it 

 u [i by the neck secreted poison copiously which collected as a drop 

 in the rostral arch. Through the drop its tongue flickered in and 

 out tremulously. 



The fact that there are no records of a bite from this snake 

 though common enough in certain localities, seems to confirm the 

 opinions expressed above as to its placid nature. 



It is eminently a jungle as well as a hill species. In all the 

 localities where it is met with, the country is heavily forested. The 

 little specimen Evans and I got in the Pegu Yomas was trodden 

 on by a wounded elephant, and pressed firmly into the soft soil. 

 The trackers discovered it wriggling vainly to extricate itself, and 

 in was practically undamaged. One of Venning's largest speci- 

 mens was discovered on the parade ground while a game of foot- 

 ball was in progress. It is always found in hills or in their near 

 \ icinity. For choice it inhabits a zone at an altitude of about 4,000 

 to 6,000 feet, but may occur lower. The specimens sent to me by 

 Mr. Gore were from probably about 1,000 feet elevation, but 

 (j uite close to outliers of the Naga Hills in Assam. Those from 

 ihe Abor Hills were from a similar elevation. 



Food. — Fayrer says that it feeds chiefly on snakes. I have no 

 single record of its diet though more than 50 have passed through 

 my hands. 



Breeding, &c. — Very little is known of its breeding habits. A 

 gravid female measuring 1 foot 11 inches that I obtained from 

 Shillong in August 1 ( J11, contained 6 eggs, 2 in one ovary, I in 

 the other. The longest of these eggs measured lj r J. inches by ~\. t ot 

 an inch. When cut into they were found to contain young embryos 

 about I to H inches long. It is not certain however that the 

 young are born alive, it may be that the eggs are discharged as 

 such still harbouring young that are destined to hatch some time 

 later, as in the case of some of the tree snakes of the genus Ben- 

 drophis, and the pit-viper Lacheds monticola. The length of the 

 hatchling or young, as the case may be, is not known. The smallest 

 specimen I have seen was 9|- inches. 



The anal glands secrete a custard-like material. 



Poison. — Little or nothing is known about the virulence of this 

 venom. 



Nd case has been recorded of a bite in the human subject. 

 Fayrer remarks that fowls succumbed to its bite. 



Length.- It grows to about 2 feet, but specimens exceeding 

 this arc uncommon. I have however had a specimen 2 feet 7-i 

 niches from Burma, and three specimens sent to me from Haka in 

 the Chin Mills by Captain Venning measured 2 feet 5| inches; 

 2 feet inches; and 2 feet 8 inches respectively. 



