38 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



Costals : Two heads -lengths behind head 19, mid body 17, 

 two heads -lengths before vent 17. Ventrals : 161 to 182 

 (<J 161 to 176, ? 168 to 182) (152 Boulenger). Subcaudals : 3 

 bo 6 y 4 to 6, $ 3 to 4). Caudal shield : About as long as 

 the shielded part of the head. 



Dentition. — From one skull in my collection. Maxillary : 

 6 ? to 7 ? Palatine : Edentulous. Pterygoid : Edentulous. 

 Mandibular : 8 ? 



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



(b) Local : Mr. Drummond-Hay tells me it is a common 

 snake in the Ratnagiri, Balangoda, and Yatiyantota Districts 

 in hills below about 3,000 feet elevation. Twenty-two in the 

 Colombo Museum labelled trevelyanus from the Bulatota 

 estate, Rakwana District, Province of Sabaragamuwa, are 

 pla?iiceps. 



Rhinophis trevelyanus (Kelaart) (named in honour of 

 Mr. Trevelyan). 



Trevelyanus Rhinophis (or Earth Snake). 



Synonymy. — Depatnaya trevelyana, Mytilia gerrardi, Rhino- 

 phus homolepis. 



History. — Described and christened by Kelaart in 1853. 



General Characters — Grows to about 11 inches. Head 

 small. Snout acute, keeled above. Eye very small, less than 

 one -third the horizontal diameter of the ocular shield. Body 

 short ; the diameter at midbody about one twenty -sixth to one- 

 thirtieth the total length. Tail very short. 



Identification. — The caudal shield as long as the shielded 

 part of the head, rostral longer than frontal, and ventrals 188 

 to 204 will distinguish this from the other species. 



Habits. — Gunther saj^s it has been found 3 or 4 feet beneath 

 the soil. 



Food. — The many 1 examined had taken nothing but earth- 

 worms. 



