58 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVII. 



Fig. 7.— Back of Common Krait (Bungarus candidus) (X 2). 

 Val = Vertebrals. 

 C = OoBtals. 



FxG, 8. — Chin shields of Bungarus candidus (X I5). 



A. S.— Anterior sublinguals. 



P. S. — Posterior do. 



M.— Mental. 



R. — Kostral. 



I. to IV. — Infralabiah. 

 The first essential point in the identification of a krait is to find tbe 

 enlarged vertebral row of scales The enlargement is very obvious, and 

 without this tbe specimen cannot be a krait. Unfortunately, however, 

 for our purpose this distinction is not absolutely confined to the kraits, 

 since a few harmless snakes are similarly distinguished, viz., the genera 

 Dips ado morphus, Dendrophis, and Dendrelaphis, some species of Am- 

 blycephalus and Xenelaphis hexagonotus, and it is due to this fact that 

 other supplementary characters are necessary to formulate a rigid 

 rule. As the recognition of a krait is of the greatest importance I offer 

 an ^alternative diagnosis which demands the co-existence of the three 

 following points : — 



(1) Enlarged vertebrals {see Vol., fig, 7). 



(2) Entire anal {see An., fig, 9). 



(3) Round pupil* (see fig. 1 0). 



* Id most of the kraits the iris is so intensely black that the shape of the pupil cannot 

 be discerned until the head has been soaked an hour or two in spirit, when the Jens becomes 

 opalescent, and reveals the true pupillary form. 



