SNAKES OP CEYLON. 125 



or 3rd and 4th touching the eye ; seven, with the 3rd and 4th 

 or 4th only touching the eye ; rarely nine, with the 4th, 5th, 

 and 6th touching the eye. Anterior sublinguals : I have once 

 seen these divided. 



Dentition. — Maxillary : Prsecranterian 20 to 22 ; 

 Cranterian 2 ; fully twice the size of the preceding. 

 Palatine : 15 to 17. Pterygoid : 25 to 31. Mandibular : 

 28 to 31. 



Distribution. — {a) General : The whole of Southern Conti- 

 nental Asia, from Sind in the west to China in the east. 

 It also occurs in the Island of Ceylon, probably the 

 Andamans, though I can find no record from this group, 

 the Mcobars, Hainan, Hong Kong, Formosa, and the 

 Philippines. 



(b) Local : This species is a resident in the plains, but 

 wanders to an altitude in the hills, which varies with the 

 locality. Its relative abundance in various districts in the 

 plains and the altitude to which it wanders is interesting. In 

 the low-country in Ceylon Mr. Willey reports it the 

 commonest snake to be met with. Mr. E. E. Green tells 

 me that in Kandy (1,700 feet) it is quite common, and 

 Mr. Pearless says that at Badulla (2,500 feet) it is very 

 common, but at Hakgala (5,600 feet) I only got one specimen 

 out of 80 collected. 



In Cannanore, out of 377 snakes collected, 2 in every 13 

 were of this species, but at Paralai in the Anamallays (3,500 to 

 4,000 feet) I got no specimen out of 91 sent me in 1909. I am 

 told, however, by the Rev. E. M. Gombert, S.J., that it is 

 common in the Palnai Hills (Shembaganur) between 5,000 to 

 6,000 feet. 



In Fyzabad, out of 704 snakes, 2 in every 9 were stolata, 

 but in the Western Himalayas at Almora (5,300 feet) I got 

 only 2 in 38 snakes of all kinds in 1909. In the Bengal Plains 

 it is evidently very common, for I got 7 specimens out of 25 

 sent me from the Jalpaiguri District, but out of a collection of 

 778 made in the Eastern Himalayas below Darjeeling (1,500 

 to 7,000 feet) only one stolata came to bag, this being found 



