THE COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 431 



anterior. A common though not invariable shield character is 

 the large temporal which usually descends to the border of the lip 

 (see figure A. in diagram). 



General characters. — For a sea-snake, it is of conspicuously robust 

 habit and unusually elongate. The calibre of the body anteriorly 

 is but little less than that posteriorly. Anteriorty it is cylindrical, 

 posteriorly but little compressed. The head is large with strong- 

 jaws, and the tail as in other hydrophids is a strongly compressed 

 fin. 



Colour and markings. — The back is usually a dull greenish or 

 bluish hue fading about midcosta, where the lower half of the 

 snake becomes uniform yellow or buff. The body is usually encir- 

 cled, with from 34 to 59 black or blackish bands, often expanded 

 vertebrally and ventrally, but these may be replaced by dorsal bars, 

 the arrangement being very variable. The specimens may be 

 grouped as follows : — 



(A) Body banded. 



(a) Variety brugmansi (Boie). With bands much nar- 

 rower at midcosta than the intervals. No vertebral 

 nor ventral spots. With this I place robusta (Gun- 

 ther), bishojri (Murray), and melanocephalus (Gray). 

 The commonest variety, from the Persian Coast 

 (Gangestun and Muscat) to the Malay Archipelago 

 ( Penan g). 



(b) Variety ti/pica, vel spiralis (Shaw). Differs from the 

 last only in exhibiting vertebral spots in one, many, 

 or in all the interspaces. When few, these are usually 

 seen in the foremost, and posterior spaces. Common 

 from the coast of Sind to Madras. 



(c) As the last with a similar series of ventral as well as 

 vertebral intermediate spots. I know onty one speci- 

 men which is in the Colombo Museum, presumably 

 from the Ceylon Coast. 



(d) V ariety melanosoma (Gunther). Bands at midcosta 

 as broad or broader than the spaces, dilated both 

 vertebrally and ventrally so as to be more or less 

 confluent in these regions. I place also floweri (Bou- 

 lenger), and alcocki (Wall) with this which is an 

 unusual form. 



(B) Body barred. 



(e) Variety subcincta (Gray). The dorsum is barred and 

 these bars are interrupted near midcosta so as to leave 

 a series of spots on the side of the body. An unusual 

 form, the type of which comes from the Indian 

 Ocean. 



