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



Identification. The family resemblance of the members of this group 

 is very striking and no single species presents a greater number, or 

 more pronounced distinguishing characters than this new species, not 

 even B. fasciatus. It is probably more nearly allied to B. 

 sindanus than others of the genus. B. sindanus is the only other of the 

 genus that has its scales in 17 rows. 1 * From sindanus this species 

 differs in the following ways: — (1) the length of the frontal is about 

 half the parietals (in sindanus about two-thirds) ; (2) the 2nd 

 supralabial is remarkably narrow, decidedly more so than the adjacent 

 supralabials (in sindanus the first four supralabials are equally broad ; 

 (3) the vertebrals are broader, thus in midbody they are distinctly 

 broader than long ; in sindanus they are longer than broad ; Mr. Green 

 has taken great pains to show this accurately, by making tracings from 

 the types of each, which are shown side by side in the accompanying 

 Plate, that marked " a" is sindanus ; (4) the ventrals — 198 to 207 — 

 are fewer (in sindanus they are 220 to 237) ; (5) colour — the white 

 arches are finer, and not arranged in pairs (in sindanus they are 

 decidedly broader, less interrupted, and disposed in pairs) ; there is no 

 white proeocular spot, (whereas in sindanus a more or less distinct spot 

 is present); the tail is mottled beneath at the tip (in sindanus it is pure 

 white) ; (6) the distinctly compressed body is remarkable, and is not seen 

 in any of the other Kraits. Points 1, 2, 5 and 6 enumerated above as 

 typical of sindanus are the same in sindanus and candidus, so that in these 

 respects walli also differs from candidus. The three young specimens 

 were all obtained by the same urchin on the 6th of August, who says 

 whilst digging he disturbed a whole nest of young snakes some inches 

 below the soil. The objection to this story is that they came in at 

 considerable intervals during the day, the first at about 11 a.m., the 

 second at about 6 p.m., and the third at about 7-30 p.m. The large 

 adult was said to have been found some four feet high in a big tree. 



For those who may find my statement of over 100 snakes in one day 

 hard to credit I would point out that I have been generous in the 

 matter of rewards this rains, and that just now the whole country is 



*Iam aware that Mr. Bouleuger (Catalogue of Snakes in the British Museum, Vol. III. 

 p. 3-i9) says in his description of B. candidus, the rows are rarely 17 ; but this was written 

 at a time when a specimen in the British Vuseum collection with 17 rows was included with 

 this species, but was subsequently recognised by him as distinct, and exalted to the rank 

 of a spocieB under the name B. sindanus. I believe there is no instance of B. candidus 

 known with 17 rows of scales. 



