iç)i5-] Fauna of the Chilka Lake : Mammals, Reptiles and Batrachians. 169 



OPHIDIA. 



Family COLUBRIDAE. 

 Subfamily A CROCHORDINA E . 

 Genus Chersydrus, Cuvier. 



1890. Chersydrus, Boulenger, Faun. Brit. Ind., Rept., p. 355. 



1912. ,, Barbour, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard, XUV, No. 1, p. 106. 



Barbour (1912) doubts whether this genus is really distinct from the type-genus 

 of the subfamily Acrochordus , Hornstedt. His doubts are probably well founded, 

 but I have no specimens of Acrochordus for comparison; the only species (A. javanicus) 

 occurs in fresh water in the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago. 



Chersydrus granulatus (Schneider). 



1890. Chersydrus granulatus, Boulenger, Faun. Brit. Ind., Rept., p. 355, fig. 104. 



1912. ,, ,, id., Faun. Malay Peninsula, Rept., p. 116, fig. 38. 



1912. „ ,, Barbour, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard, XlylV, No. 1, p. 106. 



1914. ,, ,, Wall, Journ. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. XXIII, p. 372. 



Barbour (1912) has noted the more conspicuous colouration in the young of this 

 snake, a common feature of young reptiles, 1 and also the increased stoutness of the 

 adult. Wall has recently (1914) put on record a Siamese specimen 4 ft. 4 inches long 

 and with a maximum girth of 7J inches, presumably in spirit. 



The range of the species extends from the Malabar coast to New Guinea, but 

 apparently omits the Gangetic delta and fails to extend far up the west coast of the In- 

 dian Peninsula. It is common in estuaries and backwaters on the east coast and is some- 

 times found at sea. In the Chilka Lake it is not restricted to any particular locality. 



C. granulatus may often be seen thrusting its head from the surface of the lake, 

 where it is usually found some little distance from shore. On land it is sluggish and 

 unable to progress rapidly ; probably it never leaves the water unless forced to do so. 

 Barbour found it abundant in the fish-market at Macassar, under platforms on which 

 the fish were sold, but thought it probable that it had been introduced accidentally 

 into such positions. It was taken in our trawl on several occasions and probably often 

 rests on the mud at the bottom. Fishermen frequently brought it to us at Rambha, 

 Barkul and elsewhere. Some of them distinguished it from Hydrophis as not being 

 poisonous. No large specimens were obtained. 



Subfamily HOMALOPSINAE. 

 Genus Cerberus, Cuvier. 



1890. Cerberus, Boulenger, Faun. Brit. Ind., Rept., p. 374. 

 1907. Hurria, Stejneger, Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. LVIII, p. 307. 



Stejneger has revived the long obsolete name Hurria for this genus. In the 



strict letter of the law of priority he may be right, but the change is not adopted by 



Boulenger in his volume on the Fauna of the Malay Peninsula (1912). 



1 See Annandale in Boulenger 's " Report on the Batrachians and Reptiles ", Fasciculi Malayenses 

 (Zool.) I, p. 156. 



