SERPENTES. 99 



This species has a very remarkable distribution through the tropical regions 

 of the Old World. It has been previously recorded from the following localities : 

 — South Africa, Madagascar, Arabia, India, the Maldive and Laccadive Islands, 

 Ceylon, Burma, Siam, Straits Settlements, Java, Borneo, Flores, Celebes, Ke 

 and Aru Islands, Moluccas, Philippines, Formosa, Hong Kong, Okinawa Island, 

 Miyakoshima, Yaeyama Island, Riu Kiu Archipelago. In the collections at 

 hand, the following localities are represented, some of which extend the known 

 range considerably. Thus the creature seems generally distributed through the 

 Moluccas and also occurs in Papua. 



Manokwari (Doreh), Dutch Papua 2 examples 



Patani, Halmahera I., Moluccas 1 example 



Ternate I., Moluccas 1 example 



Wahaai, Ceram I., Moluccas 2 examples 



Buitenzorg, Java 14 examples 



Johore State, Malay Peninsula 1 example 



Saigon, French Cochin China 1 example 



The Bryant collection contains eleven other examples from Buitenzorg. 

 The following are in the collection of the Museum: — 



Madras, India, M. C. Z., 3,913, 3,914 16 examples 



Madras, India M. C. Z., 5,229 (= T. pammaces) 2 examples 



Amballa, India M. C. Z., 4,270 1 example 



Plains 70 miles s. w. of Am- 

 balla, India, M. C. Z., 3,750, 5,393 , 8 examples 

 The Plains, India, M. C. Z., 4,780 1 example 



Gadow (Amphibia and reptiles, 1901, p. 594) offers the following suggestion 

 regarding this family of snakes. "The Typhlopidae * * * are undoubtedly the 

 last living descendants of formerly cosmopolitan, rather archaic, snakes which 

 in adaptation to their burrowing life * * * have undergone degradation." 



It seems probable, certainly possible, that from this simple form (viz. 

 T. hraminus) various local races of full specific distinction have arisen. This 

 species may have spread abroad whilst still there was land connection between 

 the Indo-Malayan Islands and Papuasia. The distribution over the western 

 portion of its range is also suggestive that at perhaps the same time a land-bridge 

 connected Somaliland with Arabia. It is not necessary to assume that these 

 land connections were coexisting, — they probably were not. Is it not also 

 possible that in the last-mentioned connection was included the island of Socotra, 



