THE COMMON INDIAN SNAKES, 1017 



ly^flar — 20 to 22, subequal, the first and last perhaps rather 

 shortest. 



Our plate leaves nothing to be desired, unless it is the dorsal 

 colour which is usually of a greener tinge. 



HYPSIBHINA ENHYDBIS (Schneider). 



Schneider's Water Snake. 



This snake being furnished with grooved teeth in the back of 

 the maxilla conies into the opisthoglyphous " series " of colubrines. 

 The series includes three subfamilies, viz., Homalopsince, Biijsado- 

 onorphiince and MdcJiistodontince. 



The homalopsids are true fresh water snakes and classified in ten 

 genera, seven of which are represented in India. One of these, 

 mz., Hypsirhina, includes fifteen species, one of which enJiydris 

 forms the subject of this paper. The type of the genus is 

 R. plumhea which inhabits the Malayo-Chinese area and has been 

 found in Burma. 



History. — Our first introduction to H. enhydris is through 

 Russell*, who under the name " Mutta pam" figured and remarked 

 upon a specimen in 1796 which had been captured in an Eel 

 trap in the Lake of Ankapilly (North of the Godavery, near 

 Vizagapatam). Three years later Schneider alluded to it in his 

 History of Amphibians, under the name Hydrus enhydris. 



Nomenclature — Scientific. — The generic name from the Greek 

 ''hypsi," high, and " rhis, " the nose, was introduced by Wagler 

 in 1830 on account of the high position of the nostrils on the 

 snout. The specific name also from the Greek " En," in, and 

 " hydor," water, was given in 1799 by Schneider in allusion to 

 its aquatic mode of life. 



'English. — Schneider's Water Snake suggests itself, reserving 

 Russell's name to designate the other common water snake first 

 alluded to by him and to which Schneider also stands as godfather. 

 I refer to Gerherus rhynchops. 



Vernacular. — The names mentioned by Russell are thje only ones 

 known to me in India. These " Mutta pam," mud snake, and 



* Ind. Serp., Vol. 1, pi. XXX. 

 38 



