166 SNAKES OF CEYLON 



Habits. — Terrestrial, with clambering propensities. Noctur- 

 nal. Active. Fierce on provocation. 



Food. — Chiefly lizards ? 



Breeding. — Nothing known. 



Poison. — Not poisonous. 



Lepidosis (for Indian species). — Rostral: Touches six shields. 

 Internasals : A pair. Prefrontals : A pair. Nasals : Semi- 

 divided. Loreal : One, touching the eye. Preeocular : 

 Absent or present. Postoculars : Two. Temporals : One or 

 two. Supralabials : Seven. Sublinguals : Two pairs, sub- 

 equal or the anterior longer. 



Costals : As broad as long, rectiform, smooth, with single 

 apical pits. Vertebrals not enlarged. Ultimate row very 

 slightly enlarged. In 13 or 15 rows at midbody. Ventrals : 

 Laterally angulate. Anal : Entire or divided. Subcaudals : 

 Divided. 



Dentition. — Maxillary : Syncranterian, anododont, isodont. 

 Palatine : Anododont, isodont. Pterygoid : Anododont, 

 isodont. Mandibular : Anododont, feebly scaphiodont. 



Distribution. — South-eastern Asia. 



There are five species, of which two occur in Ceylon, viz., 

 nympha and gracilis. 



Dryocalamus nympha Daudin. 



(Latin " nympha " a bride. The yellow mark on the back 



of the head suggests a bridal veil.) 



The Bridal Snake. 



Synonymy. — Coluber nympha, Lycodon nympha, Odontomus 



nympha, Hydrophobus semifasciatus, Odontomus semifasciatus, 



O. nympha, Hydrophobus nympha. 



History. — Introduced to scientific knowledge by Russell in 

 1796 and figured twice in his first volume. Daudin christened 

 the snake in 1803. 



General Characters. — As detailed under the genus. 

 Identification. — The costals in 13 rows in the whole body 

 length, taken with the elongate loreal touching the eye, suffice 

 to distinguish this from all other Ceylon colubrines. 



Colouration. — -Lustrous dark brown or blackish -brown 

 dorsally , fading somewhat posteriorly. There are from 35 to 50 



