90 StoUczJca, on Sind Meptiles. [Mat, 



middle of the body. Rostral one-tliird broader than high ; each nasal somewhat 

 larger than a frontal, which equals in size a supraorbital ; vertical hexagonal, 

 obtusely angular in front and much elongated and pointed behind, smaller 

 than either of the two occipitals ; one ante-, two post-oculars ; seven upper 

 labials, the third and fourth enter the orbit, the fourth is sometimes split in 

 two, the penultimate is small, and the last one minute ; temporals 2-1-3 

 4- pL, the lower of the two anterior is only a detached portion of the labial ; 

 lower rostral very small, triangular ; six lower labials, first three large, pos- 

 terior three much smaller ; two pairs of subequal chin-shields, either both 

 are in contact, or the posterior are separated by a small shield ; all the head 

 shields above and at the sides are very minutely granulated. There are thirt}^- 

 three series of somewhat elongate, subimbricate scales round the neck, but 

 further one the scales become regularly hexagonal, a little higher than long, 

 and are in 40-44 series round the middle of the body. There are 400-415 scales 

 in a line between the angle of the mouth and the vent, and 52-56 in a longitu- 

 dinal row along the tail, the terminal scale is moderately enlarged, but not 

 forked. Each scale on the body has a minute central keel, and on the side of 

 the tail the keels of the succeeding scales become continuous, forming thin 

 ridges. 



Ventral scales each with two short keels ; they are 328-334 in number, 

 anteriorly twice as large as the adjoining scales, but posteriorly their size 

 considerably decreases, and many of them become split in two shields. Two 

 pairs of preanal scales, the outer twice as large as the inner. 



Head olive blackish, tinged with red. brightest on the lower side, an 

 Si — shaped vermilion mark on the top of head, composed of more or less 

 isolated spots, the upper convexity rests on the frontals, the lateral branch- 

 es run along the supraciliary edge, and the ends curve outward towards each 

 angle of the mouth ; this vermilion mark becomes rather obsolete mth age. 



Of two specimens the smaller one is 23 inches, of which the tail is a little 

 above two ; the body is moderately compressed, of almost equal height 

 throughout, encircled with fifty-eight black rings, separated above, but united 

 by a black line along the ventrals ; the rings are only slightly contracted at 

 the middle of the sides, being separated by narrower yellow bands ; the tail 

 has besides eight black rings, the terminal three or four confluent on the lower 

 side, and the tip is entirely black. 



Another more adult specimen is 27 inches, of which the tail is nearly 

 2 '5 ; the body is in the middle twice as high as at the neck ; there are forty- 

 six transverse blackish rings on the body, and six round the tail ; each ring is 

 blackest along the back, contracted to nearly half its breadth at the middle 

 of the sides, and from there to the broader base strongly tinged with yellow 

 which is the general colour of the snake. 



Hob. — Karachi : in tidal waters. 



