36 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



Gostals : Two heads-lengths behind the head 19, midbody 

 17, two heads-lengths before the vent 17. All rows subequal 

 except the ultimate, which is slightly the broadest. Ventrals : 

 281 ; about four-thirds the breadth of the ultimate row. 

 Anal : Divided ; twice as broad as the ventrals. Subcaudals : 

 6. Caudal shield : Three-fourths to four-fifths the shielded 

 part of the head. 



Dentition. — I have no skull. 



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



(b) Local : Known from a single specimen in the Colombo 

 Museum, encountered by Willey on the road between Puttalam 

 and Chilaw. Hence apparently a Low-country species. 



Rhinophis planiceps Peters. 

 (Latin " planus " flat, " ceps " head.) 

 Peters' 's Rhinophis {or Earth Snake). 



Synonymy. — Typhlops philippinus, Rhinophis philippinus. 



History. — Described by Cuvier under the name Typhlops 

 philippinus in 1829, under the belief that the type came from 

 the Philippine Islands. Peters in 1861 referred to it under the 

 same title, and described another species as R. planiceps, which 

 subsequent writers could not dissociate from the former. As 

 Cuvier's name is misleading, it has been dropped in favour of 

 that given by Peters. 



General Characters. — Grows to about 11 inches. Head 

 very small. Snout acute, obtusely keeled above. Eye very 

 small, less than one -third the horizontal diameter of the ocular 

 shield. Body short, its diameter at midbody about one 

 twenty -fourth to one thirty -fourth the total length . Tail short . 



Identification. — The caudal shield as long as shielded part of 

 head, the rostral longer than the frontal, frontal as broad as 

 long, and ventrals 180 or less will differentiate this from the 

 other species. 



Colouration. — Head dark purplish-black without marks. 

 Body dark purplish-black with a series of irregularly ovate, or 

 sub triangular, vertical, whitish spots most conspicuous 

 anteriorly. The ventrals and the scales of the lowest four or 



