214 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HLST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXIIL 



ted to Professor A. E. Shipley who pronotinced them protozoa, 

 probably 8arcosporidia, but possibly myxoiporidia. Among Ectozoa 

 I have seen a tick presiimably of the genus AjJonomma. 



Legends. — Mr. Oolan tells me that in Rajpntana this snake 

 is believed by the natives to be the female cobra. 



Distribution. — It occurs in one or other of its varied forms from 

 the United Provinces of India, through Rajputana, Cutch and Sind, 

 the Punjab, the N. W. Frontier of India as far North as Ohitral, 

 Baluchistan, Afghanistan, Persia, Arabia, to Northern Africa as far- 

 West as Algeria. Its Eastern limit in India is roughly the Ganges. 

 (Allahabad, Fatehgarh.) Its Southern limit in India is roughly a 

 line drawn* from Allahabad to the South of Cutch. The exact 

 localities known to me are shown in the accompanying map. 



Lepidosis. — Rostral. — Touches 6 shields, the rostro-nasal sutures 

 subequal to, or greater than the rostro-internasal. Intern asals.- — 

 A pair, the suture between them half or less than half its 

 distance to the frontal ; in contact with the uppermost loreal. 

 Prcefrontals. — Usually in two rows (rarely one or three) ; from two 

 to three usually in the anterior row, and from three to five in the 

 posterior. Frontal. — Touches from 8 to 12 shields; the fronto- 

 supraocular sutures about twice as long as the fronto-parietals. 

 Supraoculars. — Length subequal to the frontal ; breadth about three- 

 quarters the frontal along a line connecting the centres of the eyes. 

 Nasals. — Two, in contact with the 1st and 2nd labials. Loreal. — 3 

 to 6. Praoculars. — Two or three. Lostoculars.- — Two to three. 

 Supralabials.— 10 to 18 ; the 3rd to the 9th or 10th maybe divided 

 into an upper and a lower part ; usually tlie upper parts of three, 

 the 5tn, 6th and 7th, or the 6th, 7th and 8th, touch the eyef ; 

 the last longest. Infralahials . — 7 or 8, three, usually the 5th, 6th 

 and 7th touch the posterior sublinguals. Sublinguals. — Two pairs, 

 the anterior longer, the posterior quite separated b}^ small scales. 

 Gostals. — Two headslengths behind the head, usually 4 more than in 

 midbody ; in midbodj^ usually 29 to 31 (rarely 25 to 33) ; two heads- 

 lengths before the vent 19 to 21 (rarely 17). The rows increase 

 anteriorly hj the division of one of the two uppermost rows (not 

 including the vertebral). They decrease posteriorly by a succession 

 of steps, 5 usually (sometimes 4 or 6). In one of the first three 

 steps, all of which occur close together, the 3rd or the 4th row above 

 the ventrals is absorbed, but in all the other steps (whether 4 or 6) 

 it is one of the two uppeimost rows (not including the vertebral)' 

 that is absorbed. The vertebrals are not enlarged. Keels are 



* Murray records one from Mahim (Bombay). It is quite possible for such a 

 snake to be transported in cargo from another Port, say Karachi, where it is knoAvn 

 to be common. 



t Those who regard the upper parts of these shields as suboculars say no supra- 

 labials touch the eye- 



