Earth- Snahcs of India and Ceylon. 5 



The terminal scute a single sharp point or fur- 

 nished above with two parallel ridges, which 

 are pointed at the end; a median groove 

 along the chin Melanophidium. 



The terminal scute, at least in the male, ending 



in a horizontal ridge; no median groove. . . . Platyplectrurus, 



Khinopiiis, Hemprich. 



{Diipatnaija, Kelaart ; Mytilia, Gray.) 



Tail cylindrical, very short in the female, rather longer in 

 the male, terminating in a rounded scaleless rough shield, the 

 caudal scales smooth, but sometimes with faint traces of keels ; 

 head conical, rostral acutely pointed, produced back, and sepa- 

 rating the nasals ; eye always very small, lying in the front 

 part of the ocular shield and well within the margin ; the first 

 pair of lower labials generally form a suture behind the median 

 shield, followed immediately by the first ventral ; a pair 

 of chin-shields sometimes present. No supraorbital. No 

 mental groove. Scales round the middle of the body in 17, 

 rarely in 15 rows. 



Hab. Ceylon and South India. 



Synopsis of the Species. 



Caudal shield in extent equal to the head. 

 Rostral very long, with distinct keel above. 



Colour nearl}' uniform oxrjrhyncJnis. 



Much dotted punctatus. 



Ilostral shorter, without distinct keel. 

 No red markings (Ceylon species). 



Ventrals 15(5-176 planiceps. 



„ 191-202 . Trevelyanus. 



T3elly red (South-Indian species) saiit/inncns. 



Caudal shield much smaller than the head Blythii. 



Rhinophis oxyrhynchus. 



Typhlops oxijrJnfnclius, Schneider, Hist. Amph. ii. p. 341. 



H/dnophin oxyrlujncjius, Hemprich, Grundr. Naturg. p. 119; Dum. Sc 



Bibr. vii. p. 154 ; Peters, Uropelt. p. 9, tab. '2. tig. 1 ; Giinther, 



Kept, of Brit. Ind. p. 184. 

 Dapatnaya kuikacUvana, Kelaart, Prod. ii. p. 16, 

 Mytilia uniinacidatn, Gray, Proc. Zool. See. 1858, p. 264. 



Snout acutely pointed ; rostral about half as long as the 

 head, compressed, and furnished with a distinct longitudinal 

 keel above ; caudal shield large, obtusely rounded, extending 

 to the lower surface of the tail, its extent equal to that of the 

 head ; all the caudal scales quite smooth both on the upper 

 and lower surface of the tail ; the first |)air of lower labials 

 scarcely meet behind the median, but there is a pair of chin- 



