14 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXI. 



are quite familiar with the adult fail to recognise the most juvenile 

 specimens as of the same species. According to Russell the young 

 one figured by him was coral red, but Dr. Annandale uses the 

 expression brick-red for his specimens. A young specimen, about 

 14 inches long from Multan in our Society's collection, is sandy- 

 red and when looked at closely the scales are seen to be pale buff 

 with ruddy outlines forming a very fine reticulation. In Russells 

 specimen there is a dorsal series of large black blotches from the 

 nape to the tip of the tail. In the Multan specimen there are broad 

 cross-bars of a ruddy-brown hue, on the tail, and posterior body 

 which disappear anteriorly. The belly is buff heavily dappled with 

 darker tones. 



Identification. — The snake once seen should never be mistaken, 

 however both Europeans and Natives confuse it with E. conicus. As 

 mentioned under conicus the genus is very easilj^ recognised. 

 Johni differs from the other species in its blunt tail. It also has a 

 larger number of scale rows at midbody, viz., more than 53. 



Dimensions. — Adults rarely exceed 3 feet. The largest I know 

 ■of is in the British Museum and measures 3 feet 3 inches. 



Haunts. — Like Russell's earth snake John's boa is described as a 

 desert snake, but the remarks I have made under the former apply 

 equally here. Father Dreckman tells me it is by no means un- 

 common about Khandallain the Western Ghats (circa. 2,000 feet). 

 He tells me further that he has always found it close to water, 

 though not actually in that element, and that it is a very thirsty 

 creatvire he having counted more than 120 gulps taken at a single 

 drink. 



It is probably much commoner than Museum specimens would 

 make it appear, for it is one of the usual subjects of exhibition in 

 an Indian juggler's stock in trade. 



It is called an earth snake, and is frequently found beneath the 

 soil, but how much of its life is spent beneath the ground it is 

 impossible to know. Though the eye is small it is in other 

 respects as perfectly developed as in Colubrine, and other snakes. 

 This leads one to infer that the subterranean life is one that has 

 been acquired in recent times, or that it spends part of its life 

 above the surface soil. There is no doubt that it is frequently 



