436 F. Stoliczka — On Indian and Burmese Ophidians. [No. 4, 



The dentition varies with age. Young specimens generally have 

 22 maxillary teeth, the last two large and widely separated from 

 the rest. In full grown individuals, the number is reduced to 14,* 

 of which the two last are very large, and enclosed in a separate 

 pouch. 



Tropidonotus macrops, Blyth. 



Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 1855, vol. xxiii, p. 296, and Giinther, I. R.,p. 263. 

 Syn. Trop. macroplithalmus, Giinther, 1858, (I. R,., p. 262, pi. xxii, fig. C). 

 ? Trop. Silclrimensis, Anderson, Journ. A. S. B., 1871, vol. xl, p. 17. 



Although the description of the coloration of Blyth' s macrops 

 perfectly coincides with that of macroplithalmus, as described and 

 figured by Dr. Giinther, there are in Blyth's original description of 

 macrops two curious mistakes which naturally prevented Giinther 

 from identifying his snake with that of Blyth, and which could 

 not have been detected without the examination of the original 

 specimens of T. macrops. 



Blyth says (loc. cit. p. 297) — " Seventeen ranges of scales : scutse 

 164 — 6 ; scutellae 130 — 46 pairs;" and again further on " seutellae 

 124 pairs only." I have examined the type specimens, and I find 

 in the specimen quoted by Blyth as being 31 inches long, of which 

 the tail is 6 J inches, that there are 19 rows of scales on the 

 anterior part of the body, but only 17 rows behind the middle; 

 there are 168 ventrals, or, if we exclude two single shields 

 following the chin-shields and properly situated under the Head, 

 there are 166, as quoted by Blyth; and there are 74-J pairs of 

 sub-caudals, or if we exclude one smaller shield immediately 

 following the anus and the single one occupying the tip of the 

 tail, there are 73 pairs, which number doubled gives " scutellae 

 146," as stated by Blyth, the addition " pairs" in this instance 

 being also a lapsus calami. What size would the shields of 146 pairs 

 of sub-caudals be in a tail of which the length is only 6| inches ? An 

 exactly similar mistake is repeated in the case of the other typical 

 specimen of 25 inches, of which the tail is 5£ inches; it has 167 

 ventrals (including three situated below the head which Blyth had 



* I never met a specimen with only 12 teeth, but Giinther records that 

 number. 



