SNAKES OF CEYLON. 33 



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



(6) Local : Reported by Kelaart common at Trincomalee. 



The single specimen in the Colombo Museum I found 

 labelled Uropeltis grandis. This may be the specimen referred 

 to by Ferguson from Mullaittivu, 



Rhinophis punctatus Muller. 



(Latin "punctatus" literally pricked, implies minutely 



spotted.) 



Muller' 's Rhinophis (or Earth Snake). 



Synonymy. — Pseudo- Typhlops oxyrhynchus . 



History. — Described and christened by Muller in 1832. 



General Characters. — Grows to about 15 inches. Head very 

 small. Snout acutely pointed, sharply keeled above. Eye very 

 small, being about one-third the horizontal diameter of the 

 ocular shield. Body rather long, its diameter at midbody 

 being about one forty-seventh to one forty-ninth the total 

 length. Tail short. 



Identification. — The caudal shield about half the length of 

 the shielded part of the head, rostral longer than the frontal, 

 and from 236 to 246 ventrals if taken together will establish 

 the species. 



Colouration. — The head blackish-brown with no marks. 

 Body scales dark brown centrally, whitish marginally. The 

 eighth row from the ventrals is wholly whitish. 



Habits. — Nothing known. 



Food. — Nothing known. 



Breeding. — Nothing known. 



Growth. — Maximum Length: 390 mm. (15 J inches). 



Lepidosis — Rostral : With a sharp keel above ; length 

 greater than the frontal, about half* the shielded part of 

 the head. Frontal ■: As broad as long, as long as the 

 parietals. 



10 6(6)20 



