372 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL RLST. SOCLETY, Vol. XXIII. 



occurred. From the positions of the snake and the bird it appears probable 

 that the snake hurled itself at the bird, seized it by the chest and rolled it 

 over coiling itself round it as it did so. 



This is the third time I have found Eryx conicus attacking birds. On the 

 two other occasions they were in the first instance a hoopoe (JJpupa epops) 

 and in the second a. \)3^:ih\Q-r {Crater opus eanorus). In both these cases the 

 snake had succeeded in killing the bird. Eryx conicus evidently lives partly 

 on ground feeding birds. 



Ghazipur, U. p., IWi July 1914. 



G. A. LEVETT- YEATS, i.s.o. 



No. XXX.— ON THE BREEDING HABITS OF ERYX CONICUS. 



A snake was killed in the Prison Garden a few days ago, on the 10th of 

 June, in the morning, and whilst a convict was bringing it to the gate from 

 the garden (about 200 yards), he saw a young one coming through the 

 vent opening of the snake. He pulled it out and he saw another in the 

 opening and pulled that out too, till five young ones were pulled out. They 

 ■were all dead, the convict says, and showed no movement when brought out. 

 The snake on being seen turned out to be a typical Eryx conicus, 28 inches 

 long with a 2" tail, and the young ones measured 7 inches to 8 inches. 

 The snake was dissected and three mature young ones were seen lying inside, 

 one near the vent opening. I could not make out any eggs. Being a viviparous 

 snake, it was stitched up leaving the young ones in situ just as they were 

 without moving them, so that it could be sent on to you as it Avas. 



Major Wall has an article on Eryx conicus in the Society Journal, 

 Vol. XXI, No. 1 (31st October 1911). 



There he has said that it is not known whether the snake is oviparous or 

 viviparous and that he had found eggs in a gravid female killed in December. 

 This specimen is certainly viviparous and interesting in that it may help in 

 the knowledge of the breeding of the species. 



I will forward the snake to you in a few days as soon as it is well 

 preserved in spirit. 



K. G. GHAPtPUREY, Capt., i.m.s. 

 Dhulia, W. Khandbsh, 



14a June 1914. 



No. XXXI.— A REMARKABLE SPECIMEN OF THE WART SNAKE, 

 CRERSYDRUS GRANULATUS. 



A fine example of this curious snake has been recently acquired by our 

 Society from Bangkok, Siam. Mr. Boulenger in his Catalogue gives the 

 length of the species as 1,000 millimeters (39 inches). The specimen now 

 referred to measures 4 feet 4 inches, has a maximum girth of 7\ inches, and 

 weighs 4 pounds ! Such a fine specimen gives one special facilities for 

 studying its very curious scales. These are much broader than long, and 

 about 160 in the neck, and about 138 at the greatest girth. Each scale 

 is diamond-shaped, and presents three strong keels, which end in free 

 points posteriorly. The median keel is the most prominent. None reach 

 the edge of the scales either basally or terminally. These keels give a very 

 harsh rasp-like feel to the skin. There are no enlarged shields on the head, 

 the only modified shields being a horseshoe like rostral, and quoit-like shield 

 around each nostril. There is no enlarged anal shield. The anus is a some 

 what rectangular aperture. The teeth in the maxilla number 22. 



Almoea, U.P., June 1914. 



F. WALL, Major, i.m.s., f.l.s. 



