THE COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 805 



in males there is nothing to distinguish the sexes. The tubercles 

 on the scales are rather more pronounced in males than in females. 

 Each male clasper is bifid with its extremities beset with villose 

 papillas. A raphe passes from the cloaca up the inner face, and then 

 to the back of the " stalk " where it divides to pass up up each 

 limb. 



Food. — They live entirely on fishes. Speaking of Malaj^an speci- 

 mens Dr. Annandale says : " A very large proportion of the fish on 

 which they feed are silurids and others provided with long, sharp 

 spines, and the manner in which these spines are eliminated from 

 the snake's bodies is curious, for they appear to pass out through 

 the walls of the alimentary canal and through the body wall to 

 the exterior. I have frequently found specimens of the Hydro- 

 phinas with fish spines actually protruding from within through 

 the integument, without, apparently, causing any inflammation or 

 inconvenience. Seasnakes cannot hiss, but produce a low gurgling 

 sound when annoyed." 



Breeding. — The season is only proximately known. On the 12th 

 November 1903, in Cannanore, I had a gravid 5 in which small 

 eggs were discovered containing no trace of embryo. In December 

 the same year I had a gravid mother with fetuses, ranging from 6§ 

 to 7 inches long. In January and February 1904, I had four 

 other gravid females in which the embr} r os were well developed, 

 the most advanced measuring from 10| to 11 inches on January 

 29th. As Guntherhas recorded a newly born individual 10^ inches 

 long, the brood above referred to would probably have been born 

 early in February. 



In 1917 I had 11 specimens from Madras in June (evidently 

 this year's offspring) which varied in length from 12^ to 17 inches. 

 My youngest mother measured 3 feet 2 inches in January, a length 

 I reckon (from rather meagre figures) she would have attained at 

 the end of her 3rd year of life. My six gravid specimens contained 

 respectively 4 foetuses, and 5 foetuses and 1 infertile egg, 6 eggs, 

 6 foetuses, 9 foetuses and 8 foetuses. The young latterly are con- 

 tained in transparent membranous sacs filled with a viscid fluid of 

 the consistency of castor oil. Males before birth as usual had their 

 genitals extruded. 



Growth. — The young appear to double their length in the first 

 year, when they are about 20 to 24 inches long. At the end of 

 the 2nd year they are about 30 inches long, and at the end of the 

 3rd about 38 to 40 inches, and growth continues for some years 

 later. Average adult specimens range between 3 and 4 feet, but 

 I have had larger examples, viz., a 5 4 feet 3^ with a girth of 6^ 

 inches at its greatest thickness, and a j 4 feet 7 inches long. 



Food. — I have onty found fish ingested. 



