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



Supplementary generic characters. — Other important characters to be 

 observed in the scale arrangement of kraits, but not necessarily peculiar 

 to them, are as follows : —The nasal shield touches the 1st and 2nd 

 supralabials, but never the 3rd. Loreal a'bsent, so that only two 

 scales intervene between the eye and the nostril. Temporal, a single 

 shield touching the 5th and 6th supralabials. Supralabials 7, the 3rd 

 and 4th touching the eye. Posterior sublinguals touch the 4th infra- 

 labial shield (rarely 3rd also). The 4th infralabial is the largest of the 

 series, and touches only 2 scales behind. The scales are the same 

 number in the whole length of the body, Anal entire. Subcaudals 

 entire throughout, or in some species only at the base, the remaining 

 shields being divided. The iris is black in all species except B. fasciaius, 

 in which the pupillary edge is thinly margined golden, and the pupil 

 which is round inform is only discernible during life in this one species. 



The shields on the heads of all kraits are so closely similar in number 

 and form that they are of little if any assistance in separating the seven 

 species. The numbers of rows of scales over the back, however, vary 

 from 13 to 19, and the vertebral row varies in breadth in some of the 

 species. The colour, too, is very distinctive in certain species, and 

 habitat is of great importance. 



Every known member of the genus occurs within our Indian limits. 

 Two are common, viz., Bungarus Candidas and B. fasciatus, but the rest 

 are local and uncommon, some being specially rare. 



They may be distinguished from one another as follows: — 



SCALES IN 13 ROWS (see fig. 7) Bungarus flaviceps. 



SCALES IN 15 ROWS {see fig. 7). 



A— SOME OR ALL THE SHIELDS BENEATH 



THE TAIL DIVIDED (fee Jig. C. and D) „ bungaroides. 



B—ALL SHIELDS BENEATH THE TAIL 

 ENTIRE (see fig. 9— A and B). 



(a) Alternate black and yellow bands right round body „ fasciatus. 



(b) Uniform black ,, lividus. 



(c) Black with white lines or bars. 



Habitat. — Ceylon ... „ ceylonensis. 



„ lohole of British India , exclusive of Ceylon... „ candidus. 



SCALES IN 17 OR 19 ROWS (see fig. 1) ... „ sindanus. 



Bungarus flaviceps — The Yellow -headed Krait. 

 Identification. — It is the only one of the genus with the scales 

 arranged in 13 rows. 



