610 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XX. 



flattening process involves a much greater length of the forebody, 

 than is seen in the cobra and I have seen the whole body flattened 

 to the vent. In the cobra the degree to which it is manifested 

 laterally is far greater than is seen in any of the keelbacks and 

 their allies. During this erection, and flattening of the forebody, 

 stolatus distends itself by deep drawn inspirations bringing into 

 view those beautiful ornamentations of blue, or vermilion as the 

 case may be to which I have referred in dealing with its colour 

 and varieties. This behaviour is never anything more than a 

 demonstration of alarm, possibly a menace, the snake looking as 

 if it intended mischief, but though I have irritated it as much as 

 I knew how I never had one attempt to bite me. 



Haunts. — Its choice of a home of course depends upon its food, 

 but though this consists of frogs and toads I cannot recall ever 

 having met with one actually in the water in marshland, pond or 

 jheel, moat, canal, or rivers. The reason is obvious for during 

 the season when it is in evidence — the rains — the whole country is 

 wet enough to make frogs abundant everywhere, and even when 

 the land is drying, or dry short of drought many species of frogs 

 that do not congregate in collections of water are in hiding, and 

 toads too. I know full well that in captivity water is essential to 

 its well-being, and I have had specimens that were to be seen at 

 times more or less immersed in their basins. Ferguson* says : — 

 "In captivity it is fond of lying in water" and Mr. E. E. Green in 

 a letter to me writes : "it submerges itself in its bath at rare inter- 

 vals, and remains there for many hours." Nicholsonj- remarks that 

 " in dry weather the offer of a drink will at once gain their hearts." 

 Though it is not the swimmer, or hydrophile that piscator is, it is 

 frequently to be met with in damp situations, such as drying 

 paddy fields, and the banks of canals, and Mr. Millard remarks 

 that in October near Bombay "it is exceedingly common in the 

 rice fields, where one sees them constantly, probably attracted by 

 the crop of young frogs." 



During the rains the buff striped keelback distributes itself broad- 

 cast all over the land, and will be found in grassy, and cultivated 



* Bombay Natural History Journal, Vol. X, p. 72. 

 t Indian Snakes, p. 134. 



