Vol. I, No. 8.] Oriental Snakes in the Indian Museum, 211 
[N. S8.] 
or blotched with pale yellow ; ventral surface paler brown; a broad 
yellow collar ; nape, labials, chin and throat, yellow. 
Dimensions— 
Total Length 580 .. 125 mm, 
Length of Tail... ree Ste 
A single specimen from Gilgit, collected and presented by 
Capt. McMahon. 
This species may be distinguished from any other Indian 
Ablabes by its extremely short tail. It has much the facies of a 
Calamaria. 
HLELICOPS INDICUS,* sp. nov. 
Head flat, rather viperine; snout obtuse ; canthus rostralis well 
marked. Hye not more than half the length of the frontal; pupil 
very small. Rostral much broader than deep, well visible from 
Fig. 1. 
Helicops indicus. 
above, separated from the internasal, which is undivided ; frontal 
more than twice as long as broad, obtusely truncated in front, 
sharply pointed behind, slightly longer than its distance from 
snout and than the parietals; loreal deeper than long; one 
preocular, two postoculars ; temporals 142; 7 upper labials, the 
fourth entering eye ; three lower labials in contact with the anter- 
ior chin shield, which is shorter than the posterior. Scales 
smooth, in 21 rows; ventrals 161; anal entire; sub-caudals 72. 
Ooloration—dark brown above; on each side of the dorsal surface 
a pale line originates at the posterior border of the parietal and 
runs along the body and tail. Ventral surface dull yellow reticu- 
lated more or less distinctly with dark brown ; a dark spot in the 
centre of each ventral shield. Labials dull yellow marbled with 
dark brown. 
Dimensions— 
Total Length ner .. 200 mm. 
Length of Tail ... beady AO 
vy) 
