A POPULAR TREA T1SE ON INDIAN SNAKLS. 271 



Blanford* remarks that it appears much less common in tbe Deccan 

 proper, west of Nagpur, than it is to the eastward. 



Description. — Rostral, touches (5 shields, of which the anterior 

 nasal sutures are largest, and ah out ^ greater than the internasals. 



InternasaU. — A pair. The suture between them \ to § that be- 

 tween the prefrontal fellows ; f the internaso-prtefrontal suture, 



Prefrontals.— The suture between them rather greater than the 

 przefron to-frontal suture. In contact with the inter nasal, posterior 

 nasal, two loreah, praeocular, supraocular, and frontal. Fronal. — In 

 contact with ('» shields, of which the supraocular sutures are the largest, 

 and twice or more than twice the parietal sutures. Length subequal 

 to supraojularj. Breadth subequal to or rather greater than the supra- 

 oculars. Parwtah in contact with one postocular usually (rarely two). 

 N.isils. — Two, lateral, completely divided. In contact with the 1st 

 and 2nd supralabials. The nostril occupies the full depth of the suture, 

 and is situated almost entirely in the posterior shield. Loreals. — Tluee, 

 normally 1+i (rarely 2 4 or 5). Pra> ovulars— Two normally (rarely 

 one), the lower wedged between the ord and 4th supralabials. Fvsto- 

 cu'ars. — Two. Temporals. — Two ; the lower touching the (1th and 7th 

 supralabials (sometimes the oth also). Supralabials S, the 4th and Mh 

 touching the eye normally (sometimes 9 with the .oth and fith touch- 

 ing the eye). I>tfi\da'ilds 5 touch the anterior sublinguals (rarely < ; ), 

 tho first forming a suture together about half the length of that 

 between the anterior sublinguals. The .oth and Gth touch the posterior 

 sublinguals. The b'th is the largest of the series, and is as broad or 

 broader than the posterior sublinguals, and in contact with 2 scales 

 behini Scales. — Two heads lengths behind the head 17 ; midbody 17 

 or 16; two heads lengths before the vent 14 or 12. All subequal 

 except the last row which is largest. A pair of apical facets at the apes 

 of each scale. K»els anteriorly (two heads lengths behind head) none ; 

 midbody in I'rom l) to 6 or 7 rows ; posteriorly (two heads lengths before 

 vent) in 2 to 10 rows. Absorption^ — In this snake two steps occur, 

 the first in which the scales reduce from 1 7 to 10, and this is brought 



• .lourl. As. ^oc. I'engal, Vol. XXXIX, p. . ! »72. 

 1 1 have already referred to the fact t'*at in som* snakes t l ie same number of rows of scales 

 rersists th rou hout the body len^ih ; whilst in others it decreases Now the manner in 

 which this reduction is effected is one of mnch irt rest from its varirioon in different sjif ciea, 

 and it is surprising to me that this feature should have been altogether overlooked by other 

 herpetologists. 



