ON THE COMMON INDIAN SNAKES, 615 



what we know of the period elapsing between coitus, and the 

 deposition of eggs. The sexes must therefore in many instances 

 retire in pairs, for when the rains burst, and the species reappear, 

 many if not most of the females are already impregnated, and 

 often to an advanced degree. 



In Cannanore in 1904 a few showers at intervals of several days . 

 fell between the 18th March and 18th May, and frequent showers 

 between the 20th May and 4th June. On the 5th June the mon- 

 soon burst, and stolatus up to this time a rarity, became abundant. 

 I obtained a gravid 5 in May, and 4 in June. In Fyzabad in 

 1906 the rains broke on the 18th June, when stolatus up to this 

 date hardly in evidence became numerous. I got one gravid $ in 

 June, nineteen in July, and four in August. In Rangoon in 1900 

 the rains broke on April 30th up to which date I had no specimen 

 of stolatus. On the 30th May I got a $ with 8 eggs in an advanc- 

 ed stage of development. I have never had the good fortune to 

 meet with a pair in conjunction, and have only had them rarely 

 reported so. In Cannanore a pair was reported " in copula " on 

 the 24th May, and two pairs similarly reported on the 18th June. 



In Burma Theobald * reported an egg-bound $ — precise loca- 

 lity not specified — in May, and Nicholson f a similar specimen in 

 Rangoon in the same month. Evans and I had gravid $ $ in 

 Rangoon twice in May, twice in June, twice in July, and once in 

 October. 



In Cannanore I had one egg-bound 5 in May, four in June 

 and four in July. 



In Fyzabad I had one gravid $ in June, nineteen in July, and 

 seven in August. 



Nicholson f reported an egg-bound $ in Bangalore in August. 



In Dibrugarh I had twelve gravid in April, thirteen in May, 

 two in June, and one in July. In Shillong three specimens in an 

 advanced stage of impregnation were brought to me in August. 



A specimen from Hakgalla, Ceylon (4,600 feet) was egg-bound 

 in September. 



Period of gestation. — This is not exactly known, but it is pro- 

 bable that it will prove to be of the same duration as in the che- 

 * Cat. Kept. Brit. Burma, page 47- f Ind. Snakes, page 127; 



