SERPENTES. 141 



from what it was in life. Rich reddish brown, with some faint darker markings; 

 a very faint whitish hne running through the eye, and some yellow scales laterally 

 near the gastrosteges, which are dark yellow specked with slate color. This 

 form in life is excessively sluggish; when aroused, however, it strikes viciously, 

 and with a speed which is, I think, qmte unexcelled. Though the tail is strongly 

 prehensile, the natives say that this form is generally found on the ground. 



Curiously, this form, while occurring on the Natuna group of islands, 

 Sumatra, and Borneo, does not occur on the mainland. It would be most 

 interesting to know whether its occurrence at high levels is as constant through- 

 out the rest of its range as it is in western Java. In the Natuna group there 

 is a hill on Great Natuna; but the rest of the islands are, so far as can be 

 learned, low lying. 



Trimeresurus wagleri (Schlegel). 



ScHLEGEL, Essai phys. Serp., 1837, 3, p. 542, pi. 17, fig. 16-18. Boulenger, Cat. snakes Brit, mus., 

 1896, 3, p. 562-564. 



Type locality: — Sumatra. 



This species is attributed to Boie, Isis, 1827, p. 561, by Boulenger, but Dr. 

 Stejneger writes that there is no diagnosis whatever. Boie referred to ''Col. 

 sumatranus Raffles," and to "Seba T. ii, tab. 68, fig. 4." These snakes are 

 different species, and it was Schlegel who definitely fixed T. wagleri to the snake 

 for which the name is now used. 



Two specimens from the Philippine Islands, belong to phase B of Boulen- 

 ger. It is interesting to compare the distribution of this species with that of 

 T. gramineus (q. v.). This form has reached Sumatra, Borneo, Celebes, Philip- 

 pines, Sirhassen, and Natuna Islands, occurring also on the Malay Peninsula. 



Trimeresurus gramineus (Shaw). 

 Shaw, Gen. zool., 1802, 3, p. 420. Stejneger, Bull. 58, U. S. nat. mus., 1907, p. 480. 



Type locality: — Vizagapatan, India. (Based on Russell's Account of 

 Indian serpents, 1796, 7, pi. 9). 



The green tree- vipers are either extremely rare in Java, or else their colora- 

 tion makes them so hard to find that they are seldom taken. The former pre- 

 sumption is undoubtedly correct, since such green species as Gonyosoma oxy- 

 rhynchus are very often found. 



The only Javan specimen seen was one adult taken by Bryant at Buiten- 

 zorg. 



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