1032 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XV 11. 



No cobras of the variety Fasciata have been received during this period. 

 Naia typica is represented by 49 specimens and Cccca by 25. These are 

 distributed as follows : — 



Typica. I Cat a. j Total, 



Yizngapatani (Madras) 3 



fSambalpur 36 



Wardlia 2 



I Sangor | 



I. P. < Hosbangabad 



I ^arsinghpur 2 



l Kbandwa ... 1 



^.Jubbulpur 



Rajputana ; 



MultaD (Panjab) 1 



Bombay .| 4 



49 



I 3 



5 41 



2 | 4 



2 J 2 



2 2 



2 4 



5 ! 6 



2 2 



3 | 3 

 2 : 3 



4 



As regards Typica, it will be seen that all the Madras and Bombay specimens 

 are of this kind, and that in the Central Provinces — if Sambalpur be excluded, 

 as it has been in the redistribution of provinces recently made by the Govern- 

 ment of India — only 25 per cent, are of this sort. 



In the case of Cccca, we find that 75 per cent, of those from the Central 

 Provinces, and all reported from Rajputana, are of this kind. 



These figures closely approximate to those given by the larger number of 

 cobras dealt with in the first paper, but more specimens or reports are necessary 

 before the exact geographical distribution of each variety can be defined. 



Mr. Young in an interesting letter from Ajmer, dated 26th December 1906, 

 says that he believes Cceca is the commonest variety in Rajputana, and suggests 

 a solution of the colour distribution of the black cobras which are mainly 

 found in the Central Provinces, Central India and Rajputana. He says : " If we 

 class Typica and Fasciata together and Caca separately, it rather seems to me 

 as if the two divisions correspond roughly with the divisions of the monsoons. 

 Typica and Fasciata are found all through Madras, Bengal, Assam, United 

 Provinces and the submontane tracts, whilst Caca is practically confined to 

 the Central Provinces, Central India and Rajputana, —roughly, the area most 

 subject to drought and in no part of which is the rainfall heavy. The greater 

 part of this area is at a considerable elevation, and includes one of the great 

 watersheds of India, rivers flowing out of it on all four sides. My experience 

 of India has been mostly within these limits, and certainly I think I have 

 always found the black cobra the prevailing type." 



This is an interesting suggestion, and deserves further discussion and elucida- 

 tion, but more facts are needed. 



W. B. BANNERMAN, M.D., b.sc., Lt.-Col., I.M.S., 



Director, Bombay Bacteriological Laboratory. 

 Bombay Bacteriological Laboratory, 

 Parel, Bombay, 1th March 1907. 



