170 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



suture between them subequal to that between the pre- 

 frontals, subequal to the intemaso -prefrontals. Prefrontals : 

 Touching the internasal, postnasal, loreal, praeocular, and 

 supraocular ; the suture between them subequal to the 

 prsefronto -frontal. Frontal : The fronto -supraocular sutures 

 longer than the fronto -pari etals. Supraoculars : As long as 

 the frontal, and about half its breadth along a line connecting 

 the centres of the eyes. Nasals : Semi-divided or divided. 

 Loreal : One, about as long as the nasals ; not touching the 

 internasals, touching the eye. Prxocular : One, above the 

 loreal. Post oculars : Two. Temporals : Two ; lower much 

 shorter than the supraocular. Supralabials : Seven ; 1st and 

 2nd touching the nasals, 3rd and 4th the eye, and 5th and 6th 

 the temporal. Sublinguals : Posterior rather shorter than the 

 anterior ; touching the 4th and 5th infralabials. Infralabials : 

 Five ; the fifth twice as broad as the posterior sublinguals, 

 and about as long ; touching three scales behind. 



Costals : About as broad as long. In 15 rows in the whole 

 body length. Ventrals : Angulate laterally, 199 to 243. 

 Anal : Entire. Supracaudals : In even rows. Subcaudals : 

 Divided, 75 tc 87. 



(b) Anomalies — Prge ocular : Rarely absent. 



Costals : These scales in a specimen in the British Museum 

 from the Anamallay Hills are in 13 rows to about four 

 heads-lengths behind the head. Here the row next to 

 the vertebral divides, and the scale rows become the normal 

 15. In another specimen in the British Museum from 

 Cuddapah I find the scale rows 13 to about midbody, when the 

 row next to the vertebral divides and so the normal 15 rows 

 are established. The two rows thus formed re-unite and re- 

 divide several times making the count alternately 13 and 15, 

 Anal : Rarely divided. A specimen in the Indian Museum 

 (No. 8,690 of Sclater's catalogue 1891, and referred by him to 

 davisoni (Blanford) ) from False Island Arrakan coast has 15 

 scale rows in the whole body length, ventrals 237, anal divided 

 and subcaudals 86, one praeocular above the loreal, and the 

 loreal touching the eye. I think there in every reason to 

 doubt the locality given as this is not a Burmese snake. 



Dentition. — I have no skull. 



