10. ANCISTRODON, 527 
and a pair of prefrontals; upper preocular separated from the 
posterior nasal by a loreal; two postoculars, upper small, lower 
descending to below the eye, which it sometimes entirely separates 
from the labials; 5 to 7 upper labials, none entering the loreal 
pit, the penultimate and last very large, formed by fusion with the 
lower temporals. Scales sharply keeled, in 21 (rarely 23) rows. 
Ventrals 144-166; anal entire; subcaudals 35-51 pairs. Brown 
with black spots or transverse bands; sometimes with a light ver- 
tebral band with dark festooned borders; a black, light-edged band 
from the eye to the angle of the mouth; lower parts dark brown, 
or variegated with black and white. 
Total length 590 millim. ; tail 90. 
Himalayas, 5000 to 10,000 feet ; Khasi hills. 
a. 3 (V. 162; C. 43). Garwal, W. Himalayas, Dr. Cantor. 
b. do (V. 166; C. 50). Garwal, W. Himalayas. Messrs. v. Schla- 
gintweit [C.]. 
c-l. g (V. 158, 153, Himalayas. T.C. Jerdon, Esq. 
144; C. 44, 47, 47), [P.]. 
2 (V. 157; C. 35), 
& yg. (V. 158, 153, 
159, 160, 155; C. 
40, 46, 39, 40, 47). | 
m-0. (V. 153; C. Khasi hills. T. C. Jerdon,Esq.[P.], 
47), 2 (V. 158; C. 
36), & hgr. (V. 159; 
C. 39). 
(‘sedA yy) 
9. Ancistrodon rhodostoma. 
Russell, Ind. Serp. ii. pl. xxi. (1801). 
Trigonocephalus rhodostoma, Bote, Isis, 1827, p. 561; Schleg. Phys. 
Serp. ii. p. 547, pl. xx. figs. 1- 3 (1837), and ‘Abbi. P. 140, pl. xlix. 
(1844) ; Gray, Cat. p. 15 (1849); Jan, Icon. Gén. 46, pl. vi. fig. 2 
(1874). 
Leiolepis rhodostoma, Dum. § Bibr. vii. p. 1500 (1854). 
Tisiphone rhodostoma, Peters, Mon. Berl. Ac. 1862, p. 673. 
Calloselasma rhodostoma, Giinth. Rept. Brit. Ind. p. 391 (1864). 3 
Ancistrodon rhodostoma, Boettg. Ber. Offenb. Ver. Wat. 1892, p. 135. 
Snout pointed, somewhat turned up at the end. Rostral as deep 
as broad, or a little deeper than broad; a pair of internasals and a 
pair of prefrontals; frontal as long as or a little longer than its 
distance from the end of the snout, as long as or a little shorter 
than the parietals; upper preocular separated from the posterior 
nasal by a loreal; one or two postoculars and one subocular, 
separating the eye from the labials; loreal pit separated from the 
labials ; 7 to 9 upper labials. Scales smooth,in 21 rows. Ventrals 
138-157; anal entire; subcaudals 34-54 pairs. Reddish, greyish, 
or pale brown above, with large angular, dark brown, black-edged 
spots disposed in opposite pairs or alternating; a dark brown ver- 
tebral line ; lips yellowish or pink, powdered with brown; a broad 
dark brown, black-edged band, festooned below, from the eye to the 
