1920.] Dr. Malcolm Smith : Sea Snakes. 9 



I have recently examined the type of H. tuberculata 

 Anders., in the Indian Museum, and am in agreement with 

 Wall (Monograph, p. 220) that it should be placed under 

 cyanocincfus. It has 31 and 41 scale rows and 312 ventrals. 



My largest specimen, a female from the mouth of the 

 Tachin river, is considerably bigger than any previously 

 recorded. It measures 1885 mm. in total length, tail 135. 



Considering that the type H. aspera Gimther, is said 

 to have come from Singapore, a noteworthy feature about 

 most of the specimens is the absence of strong keeling to 

 the scales. The majority are quite smooth in the anterior 

 portion of the body, faintly keeled on the dorsal rows in 

 the posterior part. One example only, a well grown male, 

 is very strongly keeled ; on the other hand, another male, 

 half grown, is entirely smooth throughout. 



The eye is variable in size but in all the adults is less 

 than its distance to the mouth. In two examples, Nos. 1315, 

 1318, it is extremely small. 



The anterior temporal shields shew considerable 

 variation. Normally there are two, placed one above the 

 othei", the suture between them being horizontal. But the 

 suture may be obliquely placed, or even almost vertical, so 

 that the two shields, instead of being superposed, are placed 

 one behind the other. Cuneiform scales between the 

 infralabials are present in all, usually a series after the 

 second. 



In the number of scales round the neck and body, the 

 specimens from the Straits of Malacca shew a slightly 

 liigher variation than those from the Gulf of Siam. How 

 far they differ, if at all, from the Indian form (type locality 

 Bengal), can only be determined when more exact data 

 from that region are available. 



The variation (including 10 embryos), is as follows : — 

 29 to 35, usually 31 to 33, round the neck. 

 39 to 47, * usually 41 to 43, round the body. 

 Ventrals 292 to 377. 



Excluding the embryos, the frontal shield is shorter than 

 its distance to the rostral in 3 examples, equal to its distance 

 in 10, greater than in 4. The posterior chin shields are in 

 contact with each other in 4 examples, partly separated in 

 12, completely separated in 1. 



Compared with these specimens, the series from the 

 coasts of Siam and Cochin China shews a slight reduction 

 in the number of scale rows, although in other characters, 

 except possibly in the size of the frontal, it presents no 

 differences. It is as follows : — 



' Wall records a specimen with 49 scales at the thickest part 

 of the body, but does not say from where it has come. Journ. 

 N. H. S. Bombay, XXVI, p. 436 (1919). 



