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



recently from Burma and Assam by Majors Wall and Evans. As I am not 

 aware of its being recorded previously from the Darjeeling Himalayas, it 

 might be worthy of record in our Journal and I enclose a description. 



The specimen measured 3 feet including the tail which was 8-J inches 

 long. The body was encircled by 52 broad black bands with irregular 

 margin separated by yellowish green intervals ; 16 of these band encircled 

 the tail. The black bands were broadest on the neck ; the first two failed 

 to encircle the body and the third just did so. The seventh black band 

 and onward were ornamented with irregularly shaped yellow spots which 

 disappeared on the tail. The yellow interspaces were likewise marked 

 with black. Upper parts of head black with a yellow spot on each inter- 

 nasal, prefrontal, prseocular, supraocular, loreal, temporal and a spot on the 

 parietal suture. Labials yellowish, the sutures black. The scales were in 

 17 rows at a point two-head lengths behind the head, at midbody 17 and 

 two head-lengths before the vent 15 ; the scales were feebly keeled 

 but more pronounced posteriorly. The ventrals were 214, the subcaudals 

 in 98 pairs. Anal entire. One prseocular and one postocular on the left 

 while there were two on the right. Supralabials 8, the 3rd, 4th and 5th 

 entering the eye on the left side and only the 3rd and 4th on the right 

 side. The infralabials in contact with the anterior chin-shields were 4 

 right and 5 left. The anterior chin-shields shorter than the posterior 

 The loreal though tapering to a point anteriorly did not appear to enter 

 the eye. 



E. A. D'ABREU, f.z.s. 



Kurseong, Darjeeling District, 

 5th September 1910. 



XVIII.— NOTES ON A BROOD OF YOUNG SEA-SNAKES 

 (DISTIRA SPIRALIS, Shaw). 



I am indebted to Dr. J. R. Henderson for the opportunity of examining 

 a brood of the Sea-snake Distira spiralis (Shaw), variety typica. The 

 parent, which is the largest recorded Sea-snake I have any knowledge of, 

 measured 8 feet 3 inches, and on being skinned proved to be gravid 

 containing 14 embryos apparently just ready for discharge. She was 

 captured on the 1st June 1910 in Madras. The Sea-snakes have hitherto 

 proved such a confusing group, and the opinions of herpetologists have 

 been so much at variance with regard to the species, that notes on a brood 

 are of much value. 



I have arranged the most important features observed in each in tabular 

 form, as follows : — 





