THE COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 1019 



ante-penultimate), later on tlie penultimate onlj*. This stripe 

 begins behind the neck and ends before the vent. The specimen 

 otherwise is like Indian examples. Flower records a specimen 

 from Kedah in the Malay Peninsula which appears to have had 

 five ventral lines instead of the normal three.) 



Identyication. — This is very easy. First note that the nasal 

 shields are in contact behind the rostral, then count the scale rov.'s 

 in midbody Avhich will be found to be 21 to 23. 



Disposition. — I cannot recall ever having seen a live specimen^ 

 but Dr. Cantor who appears to have been very familiar with it 

 saj^s it is a timid inoffensive snake. 



Haunts. — Schneider's water snake is thoroughly aquatic in 

 habit, as might be inferred from the character, and position of its 

 nostrils. It frequents rivers, estuaries, lakes and marshy ground, 

 even being found according to Cantor in irrigated fields. 



Food. — Dr. Cantor states that it feeds on fishes under natural 

 conditions, though these were not acceptable in captivity. 



Breedivfj. — Captain (now Colonel) G. H. Evans came across a pair 

 "in copula" at Hmawbi (Lower Burma) on the 16th October * 

 1899, which were unfortunatel}^ despatched instead of being kept 

 for the fruits of their intercourse. The two snakes measured 1 

 foot 8^ inches and 1 foot 8| inches, and though the sexes were not 

 at the time ascertained we ma}^ presume the former to have been 

 the 5 by the numbers of the ventral and subcaudal shields, which 

 were 169 + 67. In the longer specimen these shields counted 

 161 + 72. Another $ was taken by Theobald f near Rangoon 

 in a gravid condition in March. She measured 18 inches and 

 contained 6 eggs. Although it is definitely known that the 

 species is viviparous from Cantor's observations, the period of 

 gestation is not known as it appears from his account that a j 

 shared the incarceration. Apparently congress was not witnessed 

 but after six months' captivity the $ gave birth to 11 young. 

 During parturition it was observed that the anterior part of the 



Xot as originally reported November, 

 t Cat. Rept. Brit. Bixrina. p. 57. 



