ISOl.] W. L. Sclater — Notes on the Snakes in tlie Indian Mtiseum. 243 



DiPSAS MULTiFAsciATA, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxix, p. 114. 



This species, the type of which was described by Blyth, from Suba- 

 thu near Simla in the North- West Himalayas, was afterwards identified 

 hj Stoliczka (J. A. S. B. xxxix, p. 199) with D. ceylonensis a species 

 which is otherwise apparently confined to Southern India and Ceylon, 



I cannot agree with Stoliczka with regard to this identification, in 

 the first place the preocular shield which extends nearly to the vertical 

 in the case of D. ceylonensis, does not or bai-ely reaches the top of the 

 head in D. multifasciata ; again in none of the specimens of D. ceylonen^ 

 sis which I have been able to examine is there the slightest trace of the 

 narrowing of the preocular shield below, so that the lower corner of the 

 loreal enters the eye, this arrangement is found more or less markedly 

 in all the specimens of D. multifasciata ; finally the colouration of the 

 two species is very different, though perhaps difficult to describe. 



The following shows at a glance the difference between the two 

 species, the characters being taken from an examination of the specimens 

 in the Museum ; — 



Dipsas multifasciata^, 

 Loreal entering the eye below 

 the preocular except in two cases 

 where the lower corner of the lo- 

 real is prolonged in that direction, 

 but does not quite reach it. 



Preocular barely reaching the 

 top of the head in some cases. 



Temporals 1 + 2 or 2 + 1. 



Scales in 21 rows. 



Ventrals 231-248. Subcaudals 

 96-109. 



Head with a well marked lateral 

 black band from the prefrontals to 

 the end of the parietals. 



A median black sti^eak on the 

 nape. 



The labials edged with black. 



A well marked streak from the 

 eye to the gape. 



Ventrals marked with lateral 

 square blotches throughout. 

 32 



Dipsas ceylonensis. 

 No approach of the loreal to 

 the eye, preocular of equal width 

 throughout. 



Preocular reaching the top of the 

 head and sometimes touching the 

 vertical. 



Temporals 2 + 3. 



Scales in 19 rows. 



Ventrals 221-3. Subcaudals 90. 



All the upper head shields black 

 blotched, no definite longitudinal 

 band. 



Three ill-defined longitudinal 

 black bands on the nape generally 

 joined by a transverse band behind 

 and forming a trident. 



Labials not edged with black. 



Streak from eye to gape ill- 

 defined and interrupted. 



Ventrals irregularly and very 

 lightly spotted. 



