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



am nearly sure was a hatchling and which measured 8^ inches 

 was found in a child's nursery on the 19th of September in 

 Shillong, and seems to indicate that the breeding season in these 

 Hills is considerably later than in the snakes of the adjoining 

 Plains. I have had two other specimens of similar length — 81 

 and 8 j inches — from Burma, the dates unknown. 



Growth. — The young appear to grow about 6 to 8 inches during 

 the first 4 years of life, when they are about 3 feet in length. 



Distribution. — It inhabits Hilly Districts between the Brahma- 

 putra and Salween River Systems, but has once been reported 

 from Tezpur, Assam.* I presume this is the Tezpur on the North 

 bank of the Brahmaputra, but since it was taken by Godwin Austen 

 on the Duffla Hills Expedition it appears to me possible there may 

 be another Tezpur in those Hills, especially as the snake with this 

 exception has always been collected in Hills. It is common in 

 the Khasi Hills about Shillong at an altitude of 4,500 to 5,500 feet, 

 also in the North Shan Hills about the Ruby Mines (Mogok 3,800 

 feet), and may prove to be equally common in intervening Hills 

 when those have been thoroughly exploited. 



Lepidosis — Rostral. — Touches 6 shields, the rostronasal rather 

 greater than the rostro-internasal siitures. Internasals — Two, the 

 suture between them about ^ to § that between the prefrontal 

 fellows, and ^ to -| the internaso-prsefrontals. Prcefrontals — Two, 

 the suture between them rather greater than the prsefronto-frontal : 

 in contact with internasal, postnasal, loreal, prseocular, supraocular 

 and frontal. Frontal touches 6 shields, the fronto-supraocular sub- 

 equal to or rather smaller than the rest. Supraocular — Length about 

 §, and breadth along a line connecting the centres of the eyes, less 

 than ^ the frontal. Nasals — Divided, in contact with the 1st and 2nd 

 labials. Loreal — One, elongate, not touching internasal, touching 

 eye beneath the praeocular. Proeocular — One. Postoculars — Two. 

 Temporals — Two, the lower touching the 6th and 7th labials. Supra- 

 labials— 8, the 3rd, 4th and 5th touching the eye. Infralabials 

 — 6, the 6th largest, and touching 3 scales behind, the 5th and 6th 

 touching the posterior sublinguals. Sublinguals — Two pairs, the 



* Lately reported from Kerseong in the Eastern Himalayas (Journ. Bomb. 

 N. H. S. Vol. XX, p. 857.) 





