MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 231 



It may therefore be of interest to put on record the laying of 8 eggs by an 

 EcJiis carinata kept in captivity in the Bombay Bacteriological Laboratory. 

 The eggs were laid on the 8th of July 1909, and all appeared to be infertile. 

 They measured 13 millimetres Q^ of an inch) in length by 10 millimetres 

 ( r % of an inch) in breadth, after having been kept for a couple of months 

 in formaline solution. The eggs are reported to have been covered with 

 slime and to have been yellowish white in colour. There were six phoorsas in 

 the cage, the latest arrival having been received on the 10th of February, that 

 is six months previously. 



The seasons in which young are noted as having been found by the 

 authorities quoted in Major Wall's paper, are April, May and June for 

 Ratnagiri, July for London, August for Trichinopoly, Multan and Quetta. 

 Now we have one additional record of July for Bombay. 



W. B. BANNERMAN, M.D., D. So., 



Lt.-Colonel, I.M.S., 

 Director, Bombay Bact. Laboratory. 

 Parel, Bombay, lltli February 1910. 



No. XXVIII— NOTES ON THE VIVIPAROUS HABIT OF JERDON'S 



PIT VIPER (LACHESIS JERDONI) AND OBSERVATIONS 



ON THE FCETAL TOOTH IN THE UNBORN EMBRYO. 



Amongst other snakes recently received from Mr. F. E. W. Venning 

 collected in Haka, Chin Hills, Upper Burma (6,500 feet) is a gravid specimen 

 of Jerdon's pit viper which is of exceptional interest. 



I believe I am correct in saying that hitherto we have had no certain 

 evidence to show whether this snake is viviparous or oviparous, but the 

 point is settled now for I found six membraneous sacs containing embryos in 

 an advanced stage of development " in abdomina parentis." The sacs 

 measured about one and a half inches in length, and one inch in breadth, two 

 being developed in one oviduct, and four in the other. The contained 

 embryos in every case occupied the upper half, that is the vertebral half, 

 where they were plainly visible through the transparent investing mem- 

 brane. The lower half of each sac contained yolk. 



I extracted the embryos, and found there were two males and four 

 females, two of the latter being in each oviduct. In the males the genitals 

 were extruded, as I have found them in all other snake embryos, and the 

 retraction of these organs into the sheaths at the base of the tail where they 

 lie invaginated in all snakes after post-oval, or post abdominal life, must 

 occur at a late stage of intra-maternal life judging from these foetus. Each 

 $ clasper was observed to be bifid as I have noted in other vipers. 



By far the most interesting observation brought to light is the fact that the 

 embryo developes a special tooth-like organ to enable it to liberate itself from 

 its investing membranes, just as the embryos of an oviparous parent are pro- 



