240 W. L. Sclater — Notes on the Snakes in the Indian Museum. [No. 3, 



colouration, however, of the two species is very distinct, the three oblique 

 black streaks, below the eye, behind the eye and on the neck at once dis- 

 tinguishing Tropidonotus nigrocincttis from its ally. 



Tropidonotus himalayanus, Giinth., Boulenger, p. 347. 



This species is much more distinct from T. subminiatus than would 

 be gathered from a perusal of Boulenger's description ; T. Mmalayanus is 

 much darker and very nearly always retains traces of the dorso-lateral 

 series of white and black spots which are always found in the young, 

 whereas in T. submmiatus the ground colour above is much lighter, almost 

 blue, and very seldom retains any traces of the spots ; in T. Mmalayanus 

 the labials are all light coloured, edged with black and the oblique dark 

 streak, under the eye so conspicuous a feature in T. subminiatus is alto- 

 gether absent ; the ventral surface in T. Mmalayanus is very dark, in 

 gome specimens almost black, whereas in T. subminiatus it is never 

 dusky. 



In none of the large number of specimens of T. subminiatus which 

 I have examined, is there any trace of the keels on the outer row of scales, 

 in T. Mmalayanus, however, the outer row of scales is as often keeled as 

 not, and sometimes almost as strongly as in T. chrysargus and T. nigro- 

 cinctus. 



The Indian Museum possesses examples of T. subminiatus from 

 Sikhira, the Graro, Khasia and Naga hills, Munipur, Yunnan, Burma 

 and from throughout Tenasserim ; of T. Mmalayatius from Dai-jeeling 

 (3000 to 4000 feet), the hills of Assam and Moulmein in Burma. 



Tropidonotus plumbicolor, Cantoi-, Boulenger, p. 351. 



As is so often the case with Southern Indian forms, this species ex- 

 tends its range northwards to Mt. Aboo in Rajpootana ; the Indian 

 Museum also possesses examples from Nowgong and the Upper Godavery 

 district in the Central Provinces, from the Nilgiri, Anamalai and Tinne- 

 velly hills in S. India and from Galle in Ceylon. 



Tropidonotus angusticeps, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxiii, p. 295 ; Boulenger, 



p. 352. 

 Three bottles containing four snakes were found amongst the 

 collection of the Indian Museum labelled Tropidonotus angusticeps, of these 

 snakes one was obviously T. piscator and does not seem to have been one 

 of Bly th's original specimens ; of the others, two with no history attached 

 are without doubt examples of Tropidonotus hydrus, and the fourth, which 

 was said to be the actual type of T. angusticeps collected by Capt. Abbott 



