ON THE COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 625 



Oostals — Two headslengths behind the head 19, midbody 19, two 

 headslengths before the vent 17. The rows diminish by a fusion 

 of the 3rd and 4th rows above the ventrals at a point shortly 

 behind midbody. Keels present and strong in all but the last 

 row usually, which may or may not have faint keels posteriorly. 

 Apical facets present in pairs, but often obscure. Ventrals — 

 Evenly rounded from side to side, 136 to 154 (120 to 161 

 Boulenger). Anal — Divided. Subcaudals — In pairs, 46 to 86 (89 

 Boulenger). 



Anomalies. — The supralabials and infralabials are subject to 

 frequent variation due to a confluence of shields, usually seen on 

 one side, but sometimes on both. Thus I have seen 6 supralabials 

 on one side in four specimens, the 2nd and 3rd touched the eye in 

 one, the 3rd only in two and the 3rd and 4th in one. I have 

 found 7 supralabials on one side twice of which the 4th alone 

 touched the eye. In thirteen specimens I have found 8 with the 

 4th and 5th only touching the eye, in four of these on both sides. 

 I once found 9 on one side of which the 4th, 5th and 6th touched 

 the eye. With the infralabials it is not infrequently that one sees 

 but 4 touching the anterior sublinguals instead of the normal 5. 

 On 7 occasions I have seen a double loreal on both sides, one super- 

 posed above the other, one specimen was from Rangoon, one from 

 Shillong, two from Trivandrum, and three from Dibrugarh. I have 

 found two anterior temporals on one side in three specimens, and 

 once this shield was confluent with the two supralabials below. In 

 one specimen I have seen two prseoculars, and in one other only two 

 postoculars. In three cases I have seen the 2nd supralabial on one 

 side slightly in contact with the nasal shield. I have once seen 

 three pairs of sublinguals, the normal anterior pair being divided. 



Dentition. — Maxillary. — 22 subequal teeth, separated by a gap 

 behind — that would accommodate a similar tooth — from two sub- 

 equal, enlarged, and compressed teeth placed one behind the other 

 which are fully twice as long as any of the preceding. Palatine — 16 

 or 17, small, and subequal. Pterygoid — 31 decreasing in length 

 gradually behind. Mandibular — 31 to 32, subequal except behind 

 where they gradually diminish in size. 



Our Plate is disappointing in its colouring. The striping is 



