SNAKES OF CEYLON. 159 



(b) Early Life : It is very difficult to follow the growth 

 after the second year from the figures to hand in my note 

 books. It is certain, however, that when one year old the 

 young have at least doubled their length, being over 1 foot 

 1 J inches long, but they hatch over such a long period of the 

 year that the lengths become hopelessly mixed, leaving no 

 gaps to indicate successive broods. A large number of 

 specimens between 1 foot 6 inches and 1 foot 8 inches in length 

 at the same period of the year seems to indicate that this 

 length is reached at the end of the second year of life. 



(c) Maturity : The smallest gravid females I have known 

 were both 463 mm. (1 foot 6J inches) long, a length indicating 

 that they were about two years old. 



(d) Maximum Length : It grows to about 765 mm. (2 J 

 feet), but specimens over 610 mm. (2 feet) are uncommon. I 

 have records of over 19 of that length, the largest being 

 females. My biggest male was 692 mm. (2 feet 3J inches), and 

 I have had four females larger, the largest being 737 mm. 

 (2 feet 5 inches). Mr. Millard has given me two records in 

 excess of my figures. One was 800 and another 838 mm. 

 (2 feet 7J inches and 2 feet 9 inches) long. 



Parasites. — (a) Ectozoa : I have found them occasionally 

 infested with mites. Some of these that I submitted to 

 Professor Nuttall are reported to be larval forms of some 

 undeterminable species, probably a Gekobia. An apparently 

 identical parasite is shown in figure 19. 



Lepidosis. — (a) Typical — Rostral : The rostro-nasal sutures 

 rather longer than the rest. Internasals : The suture be- 

 tween them about two -thirds that between the prefrontals, 

 rather longer than the internaso -prefrontal. Prefrontals : 

 Touch the internasal, loreal, prseocular, and frontal ; the suture 

 between them much longer than the prefronto -frontal. 

 Frontal : The fronto -supraocular suture longer than the 

 fronto-parietals. Nasals : Small, subequal in depth. Loreal: 

 One ; touching the internasal, much longer than the nasals. 

 Preeocular : One ; touching or nearly touching the frontal. 

 Temporals : Lower, about half the length of the supraocular. 

 Supralabials : Nine ; the 1st and 2nd touching the nasals, 

 3rd, 4th, and 5th the eye, and the 6th and 7th the lower 



