186 DR. J. ANDERSON ON INDIAN REPTILES. [Feb. 21, 



No. Length. Tail. 



i 44f" yf 



2 40| 8| 



3 40| 9 



4 374 8 



5 33| Gi 



6 30§ 7 



s 



7. 19f 4 



8 16| 3| 



9 , . 16 3f 



Temporals and their relation to the oculars : — ■ 



No. 



1 



2 



3 



4 



5 



6 



7 



8 



9 



If it were not for the great difference in the coloration of this 

 species and that of D. bubulina, the two might very properly be 

 regarded as one. However, there can be no doubt that Blyth's D. 

 nigromarginata, which is a green Snake, is D. bubalina, although 

 the lower and upper temporals on the left side are in contact with 

 the oculars. These appear to be the only differences by which they 

 are distinguished ; but a consideration of the amount of variation in 

 these respects that characterizes the present species shows how little 

 importance is to be attached to such characters in variable forms. 



Since writing the foregoing, I have received fifteen specimens of 

 this Snake from Darjeeling, obtained at an elevation of 5000 feet, 

 agreeing in every respect with those described above. The largest is 

 45 inches in length, of which the tail measures 9" 3'". These fifteen 

 specimens show the same variations as the foregoing ones. 



Received along with these there is another Snake agreeing with 

 Blyth's D. multifasciata and with the present species in all its 

 structural characters, and to be distinguished only by its colora- 

 tion. It is rich reddish brown above ; but there are about seventy-one 

 zigzag transverse black bands on the sides, from the outside of the ven- 

 tral scales three-fifths down the side at regular intervals. There is 

 a series of not very well-defined black spots on the sides of the ventrals, 

 corresponding more or less to the transverse bands ; and the sides of 

 the ventrals generally are marbled with black, and their centres 

 faintly clouded with minute dark specks. The surface of the head 



