MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 175 



No. XVI.— SUPPRESSION OF THE NAME OF THE SNAKE 

 DESCRIBED BY ME AS OLIOODON EVAN SI. 

 In Volume XXII, page 514, of this Journal, I described a new snake 

 under the name Oligodon evansi, the type of which was preserved in our 

 Society's collection. Mr. Prater has drawn my attention to the similarity 

 between this and specimens of Trirhinopholis nuchalis Boulenger, and 

 suggests that Oligodon evansi is not a valid species. I have revised my 

 notes, and find that Mr. Prater is quite correct, so that my name calls for 

 suppression. 



Bangaloke, 3rd May 1920. F. WALL, Lieut. -Col., i.m.s. 



No. XVII.— OCCURRENCE OF THEOBALD'S KUKRI SNAKE 



(SIMOTES THEOBALDl) IN ASSAM. 



Among the snakes recently presented to this Society by Mrs. Jackson, 

 Tura, Assam, is a specimen of Simotes theobaldi. Dr. Boulenger in the 

 Fauna of British India, Reptilia, gives Pegu, U. Burma, as the habitat of 

 this species. Its occurrence in Assam is worthy of record. 



Bombay Natural History Society, S. H. PRATER. 



'ird March 1920. 



No. XVIII.— COBRA WITHOUT THE CUNEATE SCALE. 



Since getting back here I have looked up my notes about the cobra whose- 

 head I left with you. It was killed on April Ist, 1920. It was 3'-G" long, 

 and had all normal characteristics except it lacked the cuneate scale. 1 

 may note that it had no occellate marks (var cceea). I have now had. 

 14 cobras (the longest 5'-2i") brought me here and not one has had 

 occellate marks. At Manpur (14 miles south of Mhow Cantonment) which. 

 I left in March 1919 I used to get both ccBca and typica. 



The other cobras 1 saw in the Museum which had no cuneate scale were 

 not the ordinary species but banded {fasciata ). So perhaps this case- 

 is unusual. 



Bhopal Agency, Sehore, C. I., C. E. LUARD, Lt.-Col. 



11 th April 1920. 



No. XIX.— on THE BREEDING OF THE CHECKERED WATER 

 SNAKE {TROFIDONOTUS PISCATOIt.) 



On April ISth I had a Tropidonotu,^ piscator 2 (var., guincunciaius) brought 

 me. She was brought alive with 80 eggs. These examinations shewed 

 were quite lately voided. Each egg tvas ^" to f" long, white, but not glossy.. 

 As this seems late in the year I record it. 



Bhopal Agency, Sehore, C. I., C. E. LUARD, Lt.-Col. 



I7th April 1920. 



No. XX.— THE MYSTERIOUS ' JHOOR.' 

 During a recent tour through the Gir Forest I overheard a conversation 

 between the forest guards and the cattleherds regarding a strange beast 

 that is supposed to inhabit the deep pools in the forest rivers. I ques- 

 tioned a large number of men who have spent all their lives in the Gir, 

 including Hebat Jamadar, the famous old warder of the lions (now very old, 

 feeble, and probably ninety years of age) and made the following notes. It 

 would be of interest to know if such a belief exists in ctlier parts of India. 

 " The beast is named the Jhoor, lives in the deep rocky pools scoured 

 out in the beds of the big rivers, and is very seldom seen as it never leaves 

 the water. Hebat and two other men declare they have seen it. It pulls 



