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MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 787 



small as the supraoculars. One prse — and one postocular, A single large 

 anterior temporal. Supralabials 5 (in one a small 6th might be counted by 

 some), 3rd and 4th entering the eye, 2nd largest and in contact with the 

 prsefrontal. Sublinguals, posterior pair present in six specimens, absent in 

 one, when present separated by a scale. Marginals present on one side in 

 one specimen, after the 3rd and 4th infralabials. Costals anteriorly 23-27, 

 at the greatest diameter of the body 33-38, imbricate, smooth or keeled 

 anteriorly, with a short or complete keel posteriorly. Ventrals small but 

 distinct, less than half the breadth of two adjacent costals, seldom divided 

 up, 361-395. 



Colour (in life). Pale grey above, merging into yellowish below, and 

 with dark grey annuli, as broad above as below in the fore-part of the body, 

 twice as broad above as below in the hinder part. 



Two of my specimens caught in December and January respectively con- 

 tained 2 eggs each, without any trace of embroyo. 



Enhydris hm-dioickii. — In the last number of the Journal there is an 

 article upon the Sea-snakes in the Society's Museum. No mention is 

 made of Enhydris Jiardioickii, and I presume, therefore, that the Museum 

 has no specimens. I send four, two S and two 5 . 



This species is exceedingly common at the head of the Gulf of Siam, 

 infinitely more common than Enhydrina valakadien, judging by the number 

 of specimens I receive. They are caught in the nets at the fishing stakes 

 some two miles from the mouth of the Tacheen river, and during 

 the fishing season, which extends from October to March, I can rely 

 upon getting 20 or 30 specimens any day I care to ask for them. They 

 are sent up to me alive and will live for a time in fresh water, but 

 their ceaseless efforts to escape tire them out and in about two weeks 

 they die. 



The difference in the sexes in this species is well marked, the males 

 being characterized by the stronger keels upon the scales of the back and 

 sides and by the pronounced tubercles upon the belly. In some old males 

 these latter are very well marked and become veritable spines of consider- 

 able length. Another point of difference which so far seems to have 

 escaped observation is the number of scales round the body, which is less in 

 the S than in the 5 . In the former it varies from 23-27 in the anterior 

 part of the body to 26-31 in mid-body, in the latter 29-36 in the anterior 

 part of the body to 33-42 in mid-body. The ventrals are very small and 

 frequently absent altogether so that it is difficult to form a true count. 

 There are, however, less in the S than in the $ . 



Ancistrodon rhodostoma. — This viper has been recently shown to be widely 

 distributed throughout Siam, and in certain places to be fairly common. 

 It has been found as far North as Muang Fang, near the Southern Shan 

 States, and may therefore ultimately be found to enter into the fauna of 

 Burma. 



Of the Asian Crotalin^, only one, I believe, namely Lachesis monticola is 

 so far known to be oviparous {vide Journal of this Society, Vol XV., p. 

 729). The accompanying photograph, therefore, is interesting, as showing 

 that Ancistrodon rhodostoma has also this habit. 



The event took place in captivity, but the period of incubation is un- 

 known. The mother had been caught ten months before, and had shared her 

 cage with two others for nine months. It is therefore probable although 

 intercourse was never witnessed that it took place in captivity, although 1 

 should state also, that as her two companions are still alive, their sex is not 

 yet definitely known. 



