212 » Jowrnal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. August, 1905. 
Localities— 
Monghyr, Bengal, and Rampore Tea Hstate, N. Cachar. Two 
specimens, both purchased. 
H. indicus may be distinguished from H. schestosus, the only 
other Asiatic species, by its viper-like head, small eye and smooth 
scales. As possibly the type specimens are immature, the colo- 
ration may be more uniform in the adult than that described. 
The following is a “‘ Key” for the two Indian species :— 
1. Diameter of the eye more than half the length of the frontal. 
Seales keeled, in 19 rows ie Ae schistosus. 
2.|Diameter of the eye not more than half the length of the 
frontal. ne 
Scales smooth, in 21 rows; nasals in contact behind the 
rostral ae Se 06 Sud indicus. 
The distribution of the genus Helicops is very interesting 
Species occur in Tropical Africa; in 8. and EH. India, Burma, 
Ceylon, Malaya and Yunnan; in Florida, Central America, the 
West Indies, and 8. America east of the Andes. The similarity 
between this distribution and that of the Cecilian genus Herpele,! 
which has recently been elucidated by Alcock, is striking. 1 may 
point out that one of the types of Helicops indicus is from the same 
locality and collection as that in which the type of Herpele fulleri 
was found. This fact, seemingly trivial in itself, illustrates the 
improbability of convergence or parallel development being the 
explanation of all such difficulties in the study of the distribution 
Vig. 2. 
Helicops indicus. 
of animals ; for both Helicops and Herpele are well defined and ap- 
parently natural genera, having no peculiarity in common with 
one another superficially or anatomically. 
DIPsADOIDES, gen. nov. 
Family Colubride ; sub-family Dipsadomorphine. 
Head distinct from body ; eye large, with circular pupil; body 
1 Ann. Mag. N. H. (xix), 1904, p. 267. 
