152 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



but which become whitish after a few hours in spirit. There is 

 usually a collar of the same hue. The bars may be present 

 in the whole length of the snake, or may be few, and confined 

 to the anterior region of the body. In some examples the}- 

 are completely absent, and it is to these uncommon examples 

 that Boie applied the name unicolor, and Theobald hypsir- 

 hinoides. The bars expand in the flanks, and often enclose 

 islets of the ground colour. Those in the anterior part of the 

 body are best defined, and as one proceeds backwards there 

 is a tendency for them to disintegrate more and more, until in 

 some specimens one sees them reduced to a reticulate pattern. 



In most specimens from 9 to 18 bars may be counted in the 

 anterior half of the body, and about 5 to 10 scales are involved 

 vertebrally in the first intervals. The lips may be mottled 

 with brown, exhibit central brown islets, or be immaculate. 

 Typica is the common variety seen in the whole range of its 

 distribution. 



(6) Variety oligozonatus (Wall). — In this the ground colour 

 is always a dark brown. The crossbars are white, fewer in 

 number, and usually very well defined, and distinct in the 

 whole body length. They number from 3 to 6 on the anterior 

 half of the body, and the most anterior interval involves from 

 12 to 22 scales vertebrally. I have only seen it in Southern 

 India, and it is far less common than variety typica. It is the 

 common up-country form in Ceylon, Mr. Drummond-Hay 

 informs me. In both varieties the under parts are immaculate 

 and pearly-white, sometimes with a pinkish tinge. 



Habits. — {a) Haunts : Of all snakes that seem to seek out 

 and profit by a human environment, the common wolfsnake is 

 the most conspicuous. I should think that fully half the 

 snakes met with inside habitations throughout India would 

 prove to be this species, and it certainly is far more frequently 

 encountered inside bungalows and outhouses than outside 

 them. Not only is it a very frequent tenant of houses, such as 

 those occupied by the European population in cantonments, 

 but it frequently obtrudes itself into densely populated parts, 

 such as bazaars, native towns, jails, &c, and is no rarity in the 

 business quarters of our large Indian cities. I not infrequently 

 have one brought in from the regimental lines, bazaars, and 



