658 ME. STANIET S. FLOWER ON THE [May 16, 



Family CoLUBRiDiE. 



Series Aglypha. 



Subfamily Ackochobdika'. 



102. AcEOCHOBDUs JATANicus Hornstedt. 



Acrochordvs javanicvs, Cantor, p. 58 ; Blgr. Cat. 'Snakes, i. 

 p. 173. 



Siamese. " Ngu charog-naam " =" water-elephant snake." 

 Malay. " IJlar karong"= sack snake "1 



„ " Ular sapi '*'= ox snake > (ajnid Cantor). 



„ " Ular lemba "= cattle snake J 



Cantor mentions this species from Penang Hill and Singapore. 

 In June 1898, Mr. A. L. Butler showed me a live specimen that 

 had been caught in a fish-trap in fresh water near Kuala Lumpor, 

 Selangor; it was 1778 mm. iu length and had about 152 rows of 

 scales (counted by Mr. Butler). The EafHes Museum contains a 

 specimen from Pahang (E. Hauitsch, Eep. EafHes Libr. & Mus. 

 1897, p. 9). It does not seem to have been previously recorded 

 from Siam, but it is found in the neighboui'hood of Bangkok, and 

 is valued for its skin, which is used for niaking the drum-heads of 

 native drums. The largest specimen I obtained was from Sapatoom, 

 and measured 1830 mm. (6 feet) in total length. 



This snake, when alive and fresh caught, is of immense girth 

 and very powerful, twisting round one's arms with a grasp like 

 that of a python. It seems to be purely aquatic (though Cantor 

 records an exception), frequenting canals and ditches. On land as 

 a rule it is very sluggish, but when aroused will strike suddenly 

 with great force, and can inflict an unpleasant bite, as its teeth are 

 apt to break off in the wound. 



I tried keeping two in a tank with some freshwater tortoises, 

 Cydemys platynota. The snakes did them no harm, but the tortoises 

 (although they had lived peacefully with other aquatic snakes, 

 Homcdoisis buccatasiud species of Trojndonotvs), ior some unknown 

 reason, attacked the Acrochordi and repeatedly bit them about the 

 head, so that they had to be sepai-ated. 



Hab. Siam, Malay Peninsula, Java, IN'ew Guinea. 



103. Chebsydeus geantjlatds (Schneid.). 



Acrochordus granulaius, Cantor, p. 59. 



Chersydrus c/ramdatus, Blgr. Cut. Snakes, i. p. 174. 



Malay. '•' Ular limpa " = liver-coloured snake (ajmd Cantor). 



Cantor also gives " Ular lauf'as a Malay name for this species, 

 but every snake which is found in the sea is called " ular laut," 

 i. e. sea-snake. 



Eecorded from Penang (Cantor) and from Singapore (Brit. Mus. 

 Cat.). Mr. Kidley informs me this autumn (1898) a " Chersydrus 

 granulatus was picked up in the road by the Botanical Gardens, 



