126 BARBOUR: ZOOGEOGRAPHY. 



pointing out, however, that individuals from the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra 

 are closely similar. 



Known from Lower Siam, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, 

 Celebes, Palawan, and Mindanao. 



Boiga irregularis (Bechstein). 



Bechstein, Ueber Lac6pede, 1802, 4, p. 239, pi. 37, fig. 1. Boulenger, Cat. snakes Brit. mus. 1896, 

 3, p. 75-77. 



Type locality: — Bechstein writes, "Das Vaterland ist unbekannt." 



The genus Boiga was founded by Fitzinger in 1826. The type he has 

 expressly designated as Coluber irregularis Merrem. Dr. Stejneger has kindly 

 transcribed for me Fitzinger's own statement. "Merrem's Coluber irregularis 

 gab Veranlassung zur Griindung von Boiga." Dumeril and Bibron (Erpet. gen., 

 1854, 6, p. 1072) give a comprehensive survey of the early history of the species, 

 and show that Merrem gave only a German name to the species when he pub- 

 lished his original figure in 1790. This figure, Dr. Stejneger has written me, 

 forms the basis for Bechstein's name. In 1843, Fitzinger (Syst. Rept., 1, p. 27) 

 proposed a new generic name for this species, Gonyodipsas. It has been known 

 at various other times by different names : — Lycodon, Dipsas, Triglyphodon, 

 Pappophis, and Hurria. This last name Dr. Stejneger has shown (Bull. 58, 

 U. S. nat. mus., 1907, p. 304) can be used for Hydrus rhynchops Schneider only, 

 as the genus Hurria was founded by Daudin (Bull. Soc. philom. Paris, March, 

 1803, 3, no. 72, p. 187) for this single species. Curiously, Boulenger has not 

 observed the necessity of using the name Boiga, but holds to Dipsadomorphus. 

 Cope recognized the correct name, and used it for a number of species in 1860 

 (Proc. Acad. nat. sci. Phila., 1860, p. 264). 



The coloration and number of rows of scales vary; not, however, with any 

 relation to the geographical distribution, so far as can be learned. This snake 

 is one of the common forms which occur over a very wide insular range; it does 

 not reach Australia, or the continent of Asia, or the islands most closely related 

 to Asia faunistically. 



The following list of localities is gathered from various records, as well as 

 material at hand here; and serves to show how general is the distribution of 

 this form throughout the eastern part of the East Indian Archipelago, and through 

 Melanesia. 



The species is probably general over Celebes; it is found also on the Sanghir 

 group towards the Philippines, though it appears to be unknown in the Philip- 

 pines themselves. Among the Moluccas it occurs widely distributed, being 



