^■iG W. L. Sclater — Notes on the Snahes in fJie Indian Museum. \J^o. 3, 



The colour above is a dark slaty blue, the dorsal scales are alter- 

 nately yellow and slate coloured, the yellow extending for about 10 or 

 12 scales and i-eappearing again after a somewhat longer interval ; the 

 scales on the sides of the yellow dorsal scales also exhibit conspicuous 

 pale edgings so that the whole snake has the appearance of about 12 

 light coloured bands encircling the body. 



Bdngarus BUNGAE0IDE3, (Cantor), Boulenger, p. 389. 



An example of this snake from Darjeeling presented by Mr. J. 

 Gammie has a well marked loreal shield present on either side of the 

 head. 



BuNGARUS LiviDUS, Cantor, Boulenger, p. 389. 



The I'ange of this species extends as far as Lower Bengal as is shown 

 by an example procured at Saidpur in the Dinajpur district presented 

 by Mr. W. de W, Peal. 



The vertical scales of this snake are said by Mr. Boulefiger to be 

 " but feebly enlarged and not broader than long," in two, however, out 

 of the three examples of this species in the Museum, the vertebral scaleiS 

 are certainly broader than long in the posterior part of the body. 



Naia teipudians, Merr., Boulenger, p. 391. 



There are in the Indian Museum a very large number of Cobras 

 from different parts of India, and it seemed worth while to try and make 

 out how far the various colour varieties of the Cobra were constant to 

 fixed geographical areas. 



The specimens in the Museum are all spirit-preserved ones and not 

 very large, and although, a great deal more has still to be done before an 

 accurate knowledge of the geographical distribution of the varieties can 

 be made out, the following seems to roughly indicate the truth. 



a. Hood with the well known spectacle-marking on it ; above and 

 below, stone coloured, with the characteristic dark pectoral band across 

 th.e chest. 



In the Indian Museum examples from Banda, IST.-W. P., Ganjam 

 district, Calcutta, and the Ki^ishnagar district. 



This is "var. a" of Gunther's Reptiles and the " Gokurrah " of 

 Fayrer, and is probably found throughout the peninsula of India. 



h. Hood with a white circular marking, edged with black, behind 

 the hood-marking is a dark, followed by a light ring encircling the body, 

 rest of the body dark, mottled lighter. 



In the Indian Museum examples from Calcutta only where it ap- 



