THE COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 1013 



the snake flattens the part of the body not erected against the 

 ground. I think this is noticeable to a more marked degree in the 

 $ . By no means every specimen one meets displays this attitude 

 of alarm, for while some erect themselves as soon as disturbed, 

 others require a good deal of provocation before they are worked up 

 to the necessary degree of excitement. Usually when distvirbed it 

 slips away to the nearest cover, moving actively and speedily, and 

 when captured is a very restless little creature striving time after 

 time to i-each the nearest available cover. 



It is evidently an adept climber, to successfully negotiate the 

 smooth stems of bamboo that arise at first perpendicularly from 

 the ground. The Bangalore snakemen told me that they frequent- 

 ly found it as high as 8 and 10 feet from the ground, and it was in 

 such a situation that the conjoined pair brought to me were 

 reported to have been found. 



Food. — Specimens I had in captivity fed on frogs, and Mr. Ingieby 

 found the frogs that he offered were taken. Giinther* includes 

 fishes in its dietary. I cannot recall ever having got a specimen 

 that had recently fed in a state of liberty. 



The sexes. — As far as I can judge from my notes the sexes in 

 Fyzabad and Bangalore are evenly balanced. Females as already 

 stated attain considerably greater length than males, but males 

 have relatively much longer tails, and therefore more numerous 

 subcaudal shields. The males of the S. Indian variet}^ appear to 

 have a brighter red dorsal line and females appear to be able to 

 flatten themselves more noticeably. The s clasper is beset with 

 numerous small falciform processes from the base to 

 the tip. 



Breeding. — Our knowledge of this is somewhat fragmentary, 

 and leaves a good deal yet to be elucidated. The mating season 

 appears to be during the rains from the single dated observation 

 available, which came under my own notice. None of the 4 adult 

 females I had in Fyzabad were gravid which points to the deposi- 

 tion of eggs being already accomplished before August, unless 

 mating had up till then not been in progress. The latter possi 



* Loo. cit. 



