803 



A POPULAR TREATISE ON THE COMMON INDIAN 



SNAKES. 



Illustrated by Coloured Plate and Diagrams 



by 



F. Wall, C.M.G., C.M.Z.S., F.L.S., Lieut.-Colonel, I.M.S. 



Part XXVIII (with Plate XXV III and Diagram.) 



(Continued from -page If.37 of Volume XXVI.) 



ENHYBBINA VALAKADYN (Boie). 



(vel SCHISTOSA (Daudin) ). 



The Jew's-nosed Seasnake. 



History. — The type-specimen, which had previously been lost 

 sight of, I discovered in the Royal College of Surgeons' Museum, 

 London. It is No. 523 of their catalogue (1859, p. 78), and is 

 the original specimen from Tranquebar figured by Russell in his 

 second volume (plate xi). It was one of Russell's collection 

 which was presented to the above Institution by the East India 

 Company, most of which has since been transferred to the British 

 Museum. 



I do not concur with Boulenger in thinking plate x. of Russell's 

 same volume a distinct species. I agree with those herpetologists, 

 and they are many, who think that the figure on plate x represents 

 the same species as plate xi. If this opinion is correct this snake 

 should be known by the name sckistosa given it by Daudin in 



1803, while Boie's name valakadyn dating from 1827 should be 

 suppressed. I prefer in this paper however to retain the title 



with which all have been familiar for so many years. 



Nomenclature, (a) Scientific.- — The generic name is from the 



Greek " en " in, and " hudor " water. The specific name is 



borrowed from the vernacular. 



(J>) English. — I would suggest ''Jew's nosed Seasnake" or 



simply " Jew's nose.'' These names draw attention to a very 



obvious feature which is peculiar to this species. 



(c) Vernacular. — According to Russell "valakadyn" is the 



name given to it on the Coromandel Coast, and " hoogly pattee " 



about Calcutta. The former is Tamil from "valla" strong and 



" Kadyen " biter. " Pattee," a " bandage, " obviously refers to its 



flattened body. 



General characters. — The snake is robust in habit, the forebody 



cylindrical,- and much less constricted relatively than in many 



seasnakes. Posterioi'ly the body is very compressed and heavy, 



especially in gravid females. The head is large, and has a peculiar 



