THE POISONOUS SNAKES OF INDIA. 



305 



Colour. — Young are jet black with white or yellow conspicuous 

 cross bars or chevrons on the body and tail. The head is crossed by 1 

 similar bars, usually complete, sometimes interrupted. 



Adults vary a good deal. They may be yellow, olive-green, olive- 

 brown, blackish-brown, or black, usually with more or less distinct 

 yellowish or whitish cross bars or chevrons on the body, which are 

 narrower than the intervals. Light specimens are often more or less 

 variegated with black in the hinder part of the body and tail. Often, 

 too, the shields on the head and scales on the neck are bordered with 

 black. The belly may be nearly uniform, mottled, or barred, but the 

 throat is usually uniformly light-yellowish or cream-coloured. 

 Callophis bibronii — Bibron's Coral Snake. 



Identification. — 1 f 

 may be told from all 

 others of this group 

 by the fact that the 

 prefrontal shield 

 touches the 3rd sup- 

 ralabial (Prf. and 3, 

 Fig. 19 B). 



Supplement ary 

 char act ers. — Prce- 

 frontals touch the in- 

 ternasal, pos t e r i o r 

 nasal, 3rd supralabial, 

 eye, supraocular and 

 frontal. Temp or a I 

 one; touching the 

 5th, 6th and 7th 

 supralabi a 1 s (and 

 sometimes the 4th 

 also). Supralabials 7 . 

 Anterior sublinguals 

 touch the 1st, the 

 3rd and the 4th infra- 

 labials. Posterior sub- 

 Pio. lP.-Callophis bibronii (x 3). Unguals touch the 4th 



intialanial. Tnfralabials. — The 4th is the largest of the seri?s, and 



