122 F. Stoliczka — Malayan Iiej)tilia and Amplillia. [No. 2, 



along the ventrals are checkered with blackish brown ; lower labials with 

 their hinder edges blackish. Lower side dusky yellowish, tinged with red 

 which passes into vermilion on the posterior half ; every second or third 

 ventral has a quadrangular black spot at each of tlie outer edges, the 

 interposed edges being white, and the spots are somewhat more distant on 

 the ventrals than on the caudals. 



The total length (in two specimens) is 9"5 inch., the tail being 1-75. 

 I have received one specimen from Penang and Mr. Wood-Mason lately 

 obtained a second one from Jahore, North of Singapore. 



This is the fourth species of a small group of Simotes, all of which are 

 closely allied to each other and all belong to the Malay or Chinese fauna : 

 they agree in their small size, short and stout body, in the form of the 

 head-shields and in coloration. S. CocJiincJiinensis, Giinther, has twenty-one 

 rows of scales round the body. >S. hrevicauda, Steindachner, (No vara Kept, 

 p. 61, pi. iii, figs. 13 — 14) has, like catenifer, nineteen rows of scales, but 

 the occipitals and oculars are in the former somewhat differently shaped, 

 the markings on the head are also somewhat different, and there are no 

 lateral spots on the ventrals ; in every other respect both species almost per- 

 fectly agree, as far as I can judge from the figure and description, and if I 

 had not obtained two perfectly like specimens of catenifer from different locali- 

 ties, I would have hardly ventured to separate them as distinct. The fourth 

 species is Jan's >S^. ancoralis, which has the black spots on the edges of the 

 ventrals, but only seventeen rows of scales round the body and only one 

 prse-ocular. 



Cyclophis teicoloe. 



Sclilegel, Pbys. Serp. II, p. 187, pi. vii, figs. 16 — 18 j idem, Dum. and Bibr, ; 

 Giinther j Jan, Oph. Livr. 31, pi. vi, fig. 2. 



One specimen measures 18*5 inches, of which the tail is 7 inch. Scales 

 smooth, in fifteen rows, vent. 144, anal bifid, subcaudals 129. G-reyish, or 

 rather olivaceous, brown above, yellowish white below, a black streak from 

 the nasal through the eye to the side of the neck, rapidly disappearing on 

 the anterior part of the body. Each six-sided scale, above, has the anterior 

 lateral margins pale, producing longitudinal zigzag pale lines ; upper labials 

 yellow ; along the edges of the ventrals and sub-caudals runs an indistinct 

 dusky line, and another interrupted one along the middle of the ventrals, 

 these lines begin to appear a short distance from the neck, which is below 

 and at the sides uniform yellowish. 



The fine zigzag pale lines of the upper side are indicated in Jan's figure. 

 Both in structure and coloration the Sumatra specimen agrees with Schlegel's 

 figure and description, except that the head is a little more slender. 

 This specimen had a large spider in the stomach. Schlegel's snake was 



