SNAKES OP CEYLON. 29 



iSlLYBURA MELANOGASTEE, (Gray). 



(Greek " melanos " black, " gaster " belly.) 

 Gray's Silybura (or Earth Snake). 



Synonymy. — Mytilia melanogaster, Plectrurus ceylonicus, 

 Rhinophis melanogaster, R. blythi. 



History. — Described by Gray in 1858. 



General Characters. — Head small ; snout pointed. Eye less 

 than half the length of the ocular shield. Neck and anterior 

 body swollen and knuckled. Body cylindrical, short, robust, 

 especially so in the adult. Belly rounded. Tail short, cylin- 

 drical, or slightly compressed. 



Identification. — The terminal caudal shield will differentiate 

 it from all other Ceylon snakes. 



Colouration. — Dark brown dorsally, with yellow mottling 

 on the sides, often forming a more or less confluent, irregular 

 band. Black ventrally. In the young the dorsal scales are 

 dark brown centrally, bordered with yellowish. 



Habits. — Have not been remarked upon. 



Food. — Nothing specially noted. 



Breeding. — Nothing known. 



Growth. — (a) Early Life : The young are from 90 to 100 mm. 

 (3 J to 4 inches) in length. 



(b) Maximum Length: 270 mm. (lOf inches). 



Lepidosis. — Rostral : Touches six shields ; not keeled ; as 

 long as the frontal, two-fifths the shielded part of the head. 

 Nasals : Entirely separated by the rostral. Frontal : Longer 

 than broad, longer than the parietals. Gostals : Two heads- 

 lengths behind the head 19, midbody 17, two heads-lengths 

 before the vent 17. Ventrals: 141 to 166. Subcaudals : 6 to 

 10. Supracaudals : Strongly carinate on the flattened disc. 

 Caudal shield : Enlarged ; deeper than broad ; ending in a 

 transverse ridge, with two small spines placed side by side. 



Dentition. — I have no skull. 



Distribution. — (a) General : Peculiar to Ceylon. 



(b) Local: It is a hill snake, which is apparently very local. 

 Colonel Beddonne pronounced it very common without speci- 

 fying the altitude or district where he made this observation. 

 Mr. Drummond-Hay tells me he has never met with it. 



