345 

 A NEW TROPIDONOTUS FROM THE CHIN HILLS. 



BY 



Major F. Wall, I.M.S. 

 TROPIDONOTUS VENNINGI (spec. nov.). 



Three specimens were received which from the maxillary denti- 

 tion I place with the genus Tropidonotus. The maxillary teeth are 

 29, the last two or three gradually enlarging ; with no gap sepa- 

 rating the enlarged from the preceding teeth. The enlarged teeth 

 are not twice as long as the median teeth. The dentition thus 

 accords with the type of Nerodia. 



No. 1. — Length 2 feet and k\ inches, the tail 9 inches. 



Rostral touches 6 shields, all the sutures being subequal. Inter- 

 nasals. — A pair; the suture between them f that between the 

 prefrontal fellows, f the internaso-pras frontal. Prcefrontals. — A 

 pair ; the suture between them equals the presfronto-f 'rontal ; touch- 

 ing the internasal, postnasal, loreal, upper prseocular and supraocular. 

 Frontal. — The supraocular sutures rather longer than the rest. 

 Supraoculars. — Length rather less than frontal, breadth less than 

 half frontal. Nasals divided, in contact with the 1st and 2nd 

 supralabials. Loreal. — One. Prceoculars. — Two. Postoculars. — 

 Three.- Temporal. — One. Supralabials. — 9, the 5th and 6th 

 touching the eye on the left side, 8 with the 4th and 5th touching 

 the eye on the right side. Infralabials . — The 7th is the last of the 

 series, and in contact with three scales behind. Sublinguals. — Two 

 pairs, the posterior longer than the anterior, and in contact with the 

 5th, 6th and 7th infralabials. Gostals, in 19 rows in the whole body 

 length : rather faintly keeled except in the last 3 rows where 

 keels are absent. Ventrals 167. Anal divided. Subcaudals 124 

 divided except the last four which are entire. Colour. — Dark 

 blackish-brown with an indistinct chequering of black streaks. 

 A pale collar incomplete mesially. Head marbled with black and 

 grey, all the labial sutures blackish. Belly black beneath the tail. 

 and hind body, becoming more and more mottled with greyish 

 towards the throat which is mostly a dirty white. 



The second specimen agrees except in the following particulars :— 

 J. he costals are 16 posteriorly owing to a confluence of the 3rd and 



