Earth- Snakes of India and Ceylon. 25 



a pair of chin-shields separate the first pair of lower labials 

 from the ventrals, but these are sometimes wanting. 

 Hab. South India. 



Synopsis of Species. 



A supraorbital present. 



Uniform brown Porotetit. 



Each scale yellow, encii'cled with a black ring Davidsoni. 



Reddish, Avith a yellow belly Gmitheri. 



Golden, with black cross bars auretts. 



No supraorbital cancaicus. 



Plectrurus Perrotetii. 



riectrtiriis Perrotelii, Dum. & Bibr. vii. p. 1G7, pi. lix. fig. 4 ; Giinther, 

 Kept, of Brit. Ind. p. 193. 



Snout obtuse ; rostral shorty flat, rounded, as long as a 

 nasal ; vertical elongate, produced behind, much longer than 

 broad ; tail compressed ; terminal scute compressed vertically 

 and ending in two superposed points, which are single ; the 

 caudal scales keeled ; the first pair of lower labials form a 

 suture behind the median followed by a pair of chin-shields ; 

 scales round the middle of body in 15 rows ; ventrals nearly 

 twice as large as the adjoining scales, 153 to 162 without 

 reference to sex; subcaudals 11 or 12 pairs in males, 6 or 8 

 pairs in females. Length of adults about 12-14 inches, with 

 a girth of little over an inch ; but exceptionally large speci- 

 mens have been found with a girth of 1| inch, though not 

 exceeding 14 inches in length. Colour uniform brownish, 

 the belly a little paler ; the young with small yellowish-white 

 dots on the scales forming longitudinal lines. 



Hab. Nilgiris mountains, 5000 to 8000 feet elevation. Very 

 common about Ootacamund, where it can easily be found by 

 turning over stones both on the grassland and in the woods ; it is 

 often dug up in gardens, and in wet weather is found crawling 

 about the roads. 



Plectrurus Davidsoni^ n. sp. 



Snout obtuse ; rostral very small ; nasals forming a suture 

 behind the rostral ; vertical large, much elongated behind, 

 twice as long as broad ; supraorbital small ; occipitals large, 

 much elongated ; tail, terminal scute, and caudal scales as in 

 P. Perrotetii y eye and chin-shields as in P. Perrotetii ; ventrals 

 nearly twice as large as the adjoining scales, 18 L (in the 

 unique specimen) ; subcaudals 8 pairs. Length IGg inches, 

 girth 1^ inch. Each scale yellow, more or less encircled with 

 a black ring ; ventrals blotched with black. 



