228 DR. A. GUNTHER ON INDIAN REPTILES. _[Mar. 16, 
II. Scales in seventeen rows. 
A. Number of ventral scutes exceeding 160. 
a. Caudal disk flat. 
Ventral scutes 164 s. 166s. 170. Snout conical; rostral of 
moderate extent. Brownish black, a more or less regular 
broad red band runs along each side of the body. Abdo- 
men either entirely black, or with black margins on the 
SQULCR yg bai fafa opabte sasie \ey- ebiee tek 3. S. rubrolineata 
(Beddome) : Anamallays, Tinnevellys. 
b. Caudal disk convex. 
Ventral scutes 169-177; subcaudals 5-7. Snout acutely 
pointed ; rostral shield long, but not separating the nasals ; 
vertical small. Brown, with a narrow whitish line on the 
side of the neck; vent white, with scarcely a trace of a 
lateral band on the tail...............- 4. S. beddomiz 
(Ginth. Rept. Brit. Ind. p. 190): Anamallays, 3000 to 
4500 feet. 
Ventral scutes 167, subcaudals 10. Snout obtusely conical ; 
rostral shield of moderate extent: vertical small. Brown, 
with a whitish line along each side of the neck. A very 
‘perfect white band along each side of the lower part of the 
tail, and crossing the yent .............. 5. S. elliotti 
(Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1858, p. 262): Madras Pres. 
Ventral scutes 193, 201, 203. Snout pointed; rostral short. 
Caudal disk rough with keels. Purplish, ornamented with 
transverse series of ocellated small spots .. 6. S. ocellata 
(Beddome, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863, p. 226): Western slope 
of Nilgherries (3500 feet), Wynad. 
Ventral scutes 183. Snout rather obtuse; rostral very short. 
Tail very convex above and without any keels. Purplish 
above, ornamented with transverse series of ocellated yellow 
small spots; abdomen (including the two outer rows of 
scales) yellow, with numerous irregular black cross bars ; 
tail blackish, with some yellowish spots on each side. 
7. S. liura, sp. n. 
Malabar. (Plate XXXI. fig. B.) 
B. Number of ventral scutes less than 160. 
a. Caudal disk flat ; snout obtuse. 
Ventral scutes 139-148 (155 twice in 20 specimens). A 
sooty black is predominant on the upper, and yellowish on 
the lower parts; sometimes both colours are sharply con- 
fined to their respective regions (S. ni/gherriensis) ; some- 
times the entire animal is blackish; other specimens have 
the abdomen banded and spotted ; and again, in others, the 
back is ornamented with various yellowish patterns, and 
the abdomen spotted with black (S. shorfz). 
8. S. ceylonica 
