130 W. T. mllniovd—^^oles on some Reptilia. [No. 3, 



blackish above, but with a white band on each side from the wliite sides of 

 the neck jmssing over each occipital to the suj)erciliary shield, the two 

 bands being only separated by a narrow dusky space behind the vertical. 

 Lower portion of upper labials white. 



A single specimen of this interesting snake was obtained by Mr. 

 Davison at the foot of Nawlabii Hill, east of Tavoy, in evergreen forest, 

 at an elevation of about 1,500 feet above the sea. This specimen measures 

 28 inches, of which the tail is 6. 



It appears to me that this snake must be considered the type of a 

 new genus of Lycodonts, distinguished from all other Indian forms by the 

 small number of scales round the body. The single nasal shield, the union of 

 the prjeocular and loreal, and the strongly angulated ventral shields are 

 also a peculiar combination of characters, although all are found in some 

 other genera of the same family. 



Ophites gammiei, sp. nov. 



O. squamis corporis in 19 series longitudinales ordinatis^ dorsalihus 

 carinatis, lateralibus Icevihus ; scutis prcefrontalihus pariter longis atc[ue 

 latis, postfrontalihus tr ip licit er major ihus ; verticali vice longiore quam lato, 

 laterihus convexis ; loreali parvo, longiore quam alto ; prceoculari unico^ 

 postocularihus duohus ; supralahialihus 8, tertio^ quarto, quinioque infraor- 

 hitalilus ; ventralihus 214, analiintegro, siohcaudalihus 101. Color fuscus, 

 annulis antice alhidis, postice gonseis, marginihus irregularihus, variegatus. 



Hab. in Sikkim. 



Description. Scales of the body in 19 rows, the 9 dorsal roAvs keeled, 

 5 rows at each side smooth. Body slender, compressed, head rather broader, 

 flat. Eye small, pupil apparently vertical. Ventrals 214, bluntly angulate 

 at the sides, anal entire, subcaudals 101 pairs. 



Head shields. — Rostral about as broad as high. Nostril large, between 

 two nasals, but scarcely separate from the anterior frontal. Anterior 

 frontals small, each about one-third of a postfrontal and about as broad as 

 long ; postfrontals much broader in the middle than they are in front or 

 behind, their anterior and posterior outer corners being hollowed out to 

 receive the nasal and prseocular shields, between which each postfrontal is 

 bent over the side of the head above the small loreal. Vertical very little 

 longer than broad, with convex sides. Each occipital is about twice as 

 large as the vertical, rather attenuate behind, with the posterior termination 

 rounded. Upper labials 8, the 3rd, 4th and 5th entering the orbit. 

 Loreal small, longer than high. One prseocular, just reaching the upper 

 surface of the head ; 2 postoculars. Temporals irregular. Two elongate 

 chin shields of about equal length, the anterior in contact with 5 lower 

 labials. 



