786 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXIIl. 



Another specimen of this snake, caught in the same locality as No. 2, was 

 of a dirty cream colour throughout, with tongue and iris to match. The 

 interstitial skin however retained its usual black and white pattern, and this 

 fact, I think, would entitle it to rank as a colour variety, and not as a case 

 of albinisim. 



I may add that from the localities where the above specimens were 

 caught, both the green and the grey forms of this snake are to be 

 found. 



Callophis maeuliceps. — A new colour variety. This snake although not 

 common in Siam, appears to be widely distributed about the country. Of 

 the 9 specimens which I have examined two have been so distinct in their 

 markings that they are entitled to rank as a new colour variety, which is as 

 follows : — Above, light yellowish-brown, without the usual series of small 

 dorsal dots, but with a conspicuous black vertebral line running the whole 

 length of the body and tail. The usual tail bands are present. Head and 

 neck black, with a pale yellowish line along each upper lip, interrupted 

 below the eye. Belly coral pink. Tail below, more or less thickly spotted 

 with black. 



This variety is similar to the var. univirgatus of Callofhis madellandi, and 

 the same title would be suitable for it. 



Of the remaining seven specimens, six have the usual series of small black 

 dots down the back and do not differ from the recognized descrip- 

 tion, except that they have in addition a very faint, dark, vertebral 

 line. 



The other one is intermediate between the two forms, and has both the 

 dots and the vertebral line well marked. 



Mr, Boulenger in the Catalogue of Snakes in the British Museum and in 

 the Fauna of the Malay Peninsula, gives the number of ventral shields in this 

 species as varying from 205-247. None of my specimens showed so many. 

 They ranged from 173-198. 



Lt.-Col. Wall in his supplementary characters of idenfitication {Poison. Terr. 

 Sn. Brit. Ind.) says : Anterior sublinguals touch 4 infralabials. This only 

 occurred in one of my specimens and on one side in another. In all the 

 others 5 were in contact. 



Sydrophis Mossi. — Previously known from a single specimen taken at the 

 mouth of the Selangor River, Federated Malay States. During the last 

 fifteen months, I have received 7 more specimens, six of them from the 

 mouth of the Tacheen River, at the top of the Gulf of Siam, and one from 

 the river Menam, above Bangkok. The latter was found no less than 

 50 kilometres from the sea, and almost beyond the limit of brackish 

 water. It was caught in the month of May, when the river would 

 be at its lowest level, and the salt water therefore extending furthest 

 mland. 



My specimens did not entirely agree with the type description {Fauna of 

 the Malay Peninsula, Reptilia and Batrachia, p. 190) and Mr. Boulenger, 

 in reply to those which I sent to the British Museum, wrote "I 

 have compared your Hydrophis with the type of H. klossi, and although 

 there are differences, I think they must be referred to the same 

 species." 



Details of my s^ven are as follows : — Total length of the longest, a $, 

 1090 mm., tail 115. The greatest thickness of the body is in its third 

 quarter. Rostral shield variable as regards height and breadth, portion 

 visible above equal to ■§ to § the internasal suture. Frontal as long as 

 broad or longer than broad, never as small as in the type specimen, not as 



