SOME NEW ASIAN SNAKES. 613 



From jara the most obvious difference lies in its very distinctive 

 colouring. In addition to this, however, is the fact that in flavomacu- 

 latus the postnasal shield is very small, decidedly smaller than in jara. 



The scale characters of the two appear to me otherwise identical. 

 I have now examined 6 specimens of L. flavomaculatus, which 

 exactly agree. Five of these belong to the Bombay Natural History's 

 collection and were obtained from Sangli (S. Maratha District), 

 Kirkee, Poona, Nasik, and Dharwar, all places on the Western Ghats 

 inside the Bombay Presidency. The 6th example was in the Fyzabad 

 Museum until recently, bat has now been presented to the British 

 Museum. There is no record of habitat. 



Description. — Rostral in contact with 6 shields, the sutures made 

 with the anterior nasals being twice those made with the internasals. 

 Internasals, a pair ; the dividing suture about two-thirds that between 

 the prefrontal fellows, subequal to the internaso-prsefrontal suture. 

 Prefrontals, a pair ; the dividing suture about one-third greater than 

 the prsefronto-frontal suture ; in contact with the internasal, loreal, 

 prseocular, supraocular, and frontal. Frontal, in contact with 6 shields, 

 all sutures subequal, or the supraocular rather longest ; length about 

 one-third greater than supraocular ; breadth about twice supra-oculars. 

 Nasals, in contact with one supralabial only (the first). Loreal, one, 

 twice as long as high ; in contact with internasal ; not entering eye # 

 Prceocular, one ; not touching frontal. Postoculars, two. Temporals , 

 two ; the lower in contact with 6th and 7th supralabials (sometimes 

 5th also). Supralabials, 9 ; the 3rd, 4th and 5th touch the eye. 

 Infralabials, the 6th is the largest of the series, twice as broad as the 

 posterior sublinguals, and in contact with 3 scales behind ; the 5th and 

 6th touch the posterior sublinguals ; suture between the 1st § or subequal 

 to the suture between the anterior sublinguals. Ventrals not angulate, 

 165 to 182. Anal, divided. Suhcaudals, 53 to 62 pairs. Scales, 2 

 heads lengths from head 17 ; midbody 17 ; 2 heads lengths before vent 

 15. Smooth. Colour, glistening jet black, with a series of buttercup 

 yellow roundish vertebral spots, opposite which whitish bars descend 

 and broaden to form a reticulation in the flanks. The vertebral spots 

 involve about 2 scales, and the intervals 4 or 5. No occipital collar. 

 Head black with white lips. Under parts pearly white. The living 

 specimen after being put into spirit lost its brilliant yellow in about 

 three days, the spots being then as white as the flank bars. It was 13f 



