1012 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXL 



Haunts. — The olivaceous Keelback exhibits a strong taste for an 

 aquatic environment, and the position and character of its nos- 

 trils conforming to the tj^pe seen in the true fresh water snakes 

 ( Homalopsinoe ) in itself proclaims the snake a water snake 

 by habit. In Fyzabad I got no specimen during 19 months' 

 residence, but when the river overflowed its banks and flooded the 

 country for miles in August 1906, I had 8 specimens brought to 

 me in 14 days, all from the inundated area. It by no means 

 haunts rivers to the exclusion of j heels and similar collections of 

 water, nor does it show a greater liking for flowing water, for in 

 Bangalore where it was very common it was found haunting the 

 small collections of water in the Lai Bagh, and other similar pools, 

 elsewhere. The snakemen there denied that it was a watersnake, 

 and said they never found it actually in the water, but at the 

 edge of the pools where the dank soil favoured a luxuriant 

 growth. Thej^ also frequently encountered it in the foliage, and 

 lying along the stems of the bamboo brush near the water. In 

 the rains I think it leaves the vicinity of pools, and wanders further 

 afield, there being abundant moisture in the grass and weeds that 

 spring up everywhere. I have met with it in the grass at some 

 distance from water during the monsoon, and remember capturing 

 one which crossed the pitch at Berhampur Avhile a cricket match 

 was in progress on the parade ground, Ferguson remarks that 

 one he had in captivity in Trivandrum was never seen to enter 

 the chatty of water provided for it and Mr. Ingleby mentions that 

 a caged specimen he had invariablj^ buried itself in the sand at the 

 bottom of its cage with nothing but the extremity of its head and 

 its eyes sticking out. 



Hahits. — ScMstosus evinces a markedly diurnal habit being 

 frequently encountered in daylight in the haunts it favours. It 

 is probable that with such pronounced aquatic tastes, it is forced 

 to retire for many months in the jesii\ All the specimens I can 

 recall were about during the rainy season of the year. 



I have already alluded to the attitude it adopts when alarmed, 

 a posture very typical of the Keelbacks of many genera including 

 Tropidonotus, Pseudoxenodon and Macroinstliodon. The neck in 

 this species is very markedl}^ flattened cobra-wise, and in addition 



