1922.] F. Wall : Indian Species of Amblycephalus. 23 



whole body length ; obscurely keeled in the median rows of the 

 posterior part of the body. Vertebral enlarged. Ventrals 181 to 

 198. Subcaudals 69 to 87. 



Eye. Diameter subequal to the supraocular, three-seconds to 

 four-thirds its distance to the edge of the lip. 



Dentition. From three skulls in my collection. Maxillary : 

 5 to 7 ; syncranterian, anododont, kumatodont. An edentulous 

 space anteriorly that would take two teeth. Palatine: 2 or 3 ; 

 anododont, isodont. An edentulous space anteriorly that would 

 take about two teeth, and another posteriorly that would take 

 about three. Pterygoid: n to 13; anododont. very evenly 

 scaphiodont. Mandibular : 20 to 24 ; anododont, very evenly 

 scaphiodont. 



Distribution. Eastern Himalayas Sikkim. Assam: Abor 

 Hills (hid. Miis.); Naga Hills (Samaguting, hid Mus.) ; Khasi 

 Hills (F. W.)\ Sibsagar (hid. Mus.)) near Jaipur (F. W .) ; Dibru- 

 garh (F. W). 



'Note. — I discredit the authenticity of the record from the 

 Nicobars on the authority of de RoepstorfT. The specimen 

 (No. 8888) in the Indian Museum is indubitably this species. De 

 Roepstorff's name is. associated with two other records equally 

 untrustworthy in my opinion, he being the only authority to record 

 the Indian Polyodontophis Sagittarius, and the Ceylon Oligodon 

 sublineatus from the Nicobars; 



Amblycephalus moellendorffi (Boettger). 



A. moellendorffi, Boulenger, Cat. Ill, 1896, p. 443; Sclater, List Sn.Ind. 

 Mas. 1891, p. 67 



Colour. Dirty white or greyish, heavily mottled with very 

 fine purplish-brown specks on the dorsum. Many small round 

 whitish spots outlined with purplish-brown, showing a decided 

 tendency to form crossbars. A more or less conspicuous whitish 

 collar. Belly irregularly spotted with blackish laterally. Beneath 

 the tail densely mottled with fine blackish specks. Head uniform 

 purplish-brown. Young marked exactly like adults. 



Length. 350 mm. (1 foot, if inches). The smallest specimen 

 I have seen was 162 mm. (6| inches) in length. 



Habits The many specimens I acquired on Hong Kong Island 

 were captured in the low scrub jungle on the slopes of the Peak. 



Lepidosis. Praefrontal touching the eye. Frontal hexagonal 

 in shape. Length subequal to or rather greater than the snout, 

 subequal to its. breadth, three-fifths to four-fifths the parietals. 

 Supraocular shorter than the praefrontal, about half the length 

 of the frontal, one-third to two-fifths the parietals. Loreal not 

 touching the eye. Praeocidar one. Postocular usually none 

 (confluent with the subocular). Subocular a single crescentic 

 shield from the supraocular to the praeocular (sometimes not 

 united with the postocular). Temporals the upper usually as 

 long as the parietals, sometimes divided into two. The lower 



