284 



COLTJBKID.E. 



subcaudals 17-38. Brown above, spotted with black, or with more 

 or less distinct black longitudinal bands ; sometimes an ill-defined 

 yellow collar ; lips black and yellow ; lower surface black and 

 white, or grey spotted with black, or nearly uniform brownish 

 black. 



Total length 25 inches ; tail 1-5. 



Hal. Hills of Southern India up to 5900 feet, 



335. Xylophis stenorhynchus. 



Geophis stenorhynchus, Giinth. P. Z. S. 1875, p. 230. 

 Xylophis indicus, Beddome, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 576. 



Eostral small, deeper than broad, well visible from above ; suture 

 between the internasals about one third the length of that between 

 the praef rentals ; frontal as long as broad or slightly longer than 

 broad, nearly as long as its distance from the end of the snout, and 

 a little shorter than the parietals ; suture between the latter shields 

 much shorter than the frontal ; supraocular very small, not larger 

 than the single postocular ; loreal much elongate, entering the eye ; 

 temporals 1 +2 ; 5 upper labials, third and fourth entering the eye, 

 first very small, fif ^i largest ; 4 lower labials in contact wdth the 

 chin-shields, which are very large and in contact with the mental ; 

 no posterior chin-shields. Scales in 15 rows. Venlrals 120-131 ; 

 anal single ; subcaudals 17-31. Dark brown above, uniform or 

 with three rather indistinct darker longitudinal lines, and a yellow- 

 ish collar ; lower surface uniform dark brown. 



Total length 9 inches ; tail 8-1. 



ffab. Travancore and Madura Hills (5000 feet). 



Grenus TRACHISCHIUM, 



Giinther, Cat. Col. Sn. p. 30, 1858. 



Maxillary teeth 18 to 20, anterior 

 shortest ; posterior mandibular 

 teeth shorter than the anterior. 

 Head not distinct from neck ; eye 

 small, with vertically subelliptic 

 pupil ; nostril between two very 

 smaU nasals ; head-shields normal, 

 prsefrontals sometimes united. 

 Body cylindrical ; scales smooth, 

 without apical pits, in 13 or 15 

 rows ; tail short ; subcaudals in 

 two rows. 



Distribution. Eastern Himalayas 

 and Khasi Hills. 



Four or five species are known, all 

 of small size. Their correct position 

 in the system is evidently near 



Fig. 91.-Head and dentition Xylophis and RracTiyorrhos, with 

 of Trachischiumfuscum. which they have much in common. 



