ON THE COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 621 



measurements of individuals in the same brood run, whilst there 

 is an appreciable difference in the average length of members of 

 different broods. 



Sloughing, — We know very little about this function, and although 

 many snakes are kept in captivity in various institutions in India 

 very little attention is paid to this curious habit, and seemingly no 

 records kept. Similarly in Kegent's Park, London, I failed to get 

 any information. 



A specimen I had in Rangoon sloughed on the 27th June, and 

 again on the 24th July. Another cast its skin on the 7th and 

 25th of May, and again on the 23rd June in Rangoon. Some 

 excellent records were kept some years ago in the Madras Museum,* 

 from which I find that one specimen desquamated on the 29th 

 June, 21st October, 22nd December 1896, and 25th January 1897. 

 Another exfoliated on the 28th June, 6th July, 27th July, 3rd 

 September, 14th December 1896, and on the 18th January, and 

 27th February 1897. This was the same specimen that laid 14 

 eggs, between the 17th August and 18th September. In another 

 specimen ecdysis occurred on 17th March, 17th September, 26th 

 December 1896, and 20th March 1897. It is very difficult to 

 explain why in one instance four months elapsed, and in another 

 six months, during the same period of the year in which a third 

 specimen desquamated from every 3 to 5 weeks. All the speci- 

 mens, judging from the consumption of frogs which I have 

 quoted under food, appeared to have been in vigorous health, all 

 the records were made in the same year, and we may assume that 

 all the specimens were caged under similar conditions. It seems 

 unlikely too that when special attention was being given to this 

 function any of the occasions should have been overlooked. 



Foes. — Doubtless so harmless, and diminutive a reptile frequent- 

 ly provides food for predaceous animals and birds. Evans and I 

 once knew it fall a victim to the snake Xenopeltis unicolor, and I 

 found one inside a banded krait (Bungarus fasciatus) in Dibrugarh. 

 Mr. Primrosef in our journal has recorded one being swallowed by 

 the green tree snake (Dry typhis mycterizans). 



Parasites. — The buff striped keelback harbours many Bntozoa. 

 * Administration Report 1896. t Vol. XV., p. 347. 



