24 Col. R. H. Becldome on the 



incli or so of the belly black ; tail black beneath, but with a 

 yellow band on each side ; upper labials and terminal scute 

 yellow. 



IIul> Madura district, in moist woods on the "' High 

 Wavy," a mountain at the head of the Cumbum valley, 

 at an elevation of about 5000 feet. Only a single specimen 

 (now in the British Museum) is known, and not apparently 

 adult ; it is certainly rather abnormal in the genus, and when 

 better known may have to be removed elsewhere. 



*** Scales in 15 rows. 

 Silyiura macroiepis. 



Silybura macroiepis, Peters, Monatsber. Berl. Acad. 1861, p. 904 ; Giin- 

 ther, Rep. Brit. Ind. p. 189. 



Snout obtuse ; rostral shorter than the vertical, flat above, 

 not separating the nasals ; eye large ; caudal disk flat, well 

 defined (exactly as in 8. nilgherrieiisis)^ twice as long as broad, 

 prominently bicuspid ; the caudal scales with 1 or 2 promi- 

 nent keels ; the first pair of lower labials form a suture behind 

 the median shield, followed by a pair of chin-shields. The 

 scales in 15 rows round the middle of the body, ventrals twice 

 as large as the adjoining scales, 128 to 138 without reference 

 to sex ; subcaudals 8 or 9 pairs. Length about 1 foot, a large 

 adult female being ]^ inch in girth, and a large male 

 l-j inch. Colour violet or purplish black or brown, with 

 yellowish blotches along the anterior sides of the trunk ; tail 

 yellowish on each side. 



Hah. Bombay ghats ; Matheran hills. 



There are four specimens in the British Museum, three col- 

 lected by Dr. Leith on the Matheran hills, the other without 

 locality. Two females v.ith 8 subcaudals have 131 and 134 

 ventrals, and one male with 9 subcaudals has 130 ventrals ; it 

 lias quite the aspect and colouring of S. niigherriensis^ and 

 might be taken for that species unless the rows of scales were 

 counted ; it appears to differ also in the number of subcaudals. 



Plectrurus. 



Flectrurtts, Dum. & Bibr. 



Mimdia, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1858, p. 261. 



Terminal scute of the tail much compressed vertically, 

 horny, bicuspid, the points one above the other, single or 

 double. Snout obtusely rounded, the nasals forming a suture 

 behind the rostral ; eye pretty large in the front part of the 

 ocular shield ; a supraorbital generally present, but wanting 

 in one species. Scales round the body in 15 rows ; generally 



