180 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



of Gunther, makes this statement.* Whilst fully agreeing 

 with, this remark, in this species I have no doubt that the 

 converse obtains. An average taken from the largest males 

 and females my notes record shows a disparity decidedly in 

 favour of the male. Again, of specimens over 6 feet 6 inches, 

 twelve are males and only two females. The longest female 

 is 6 feet 7 J inches. Though usually met with singly, they are 

 sometimes found in pairs at times other than the breeding 

 season. On January 5, 1900, in Rangoon, a male and female 

 were found coiled together beneath a flooring. This date is 

 one later than the normal hatching season. The male was 

 6 feet 1 J inches, and the female 5 feet 8| inches . 



I have dissected out the anal glands in a male. They are 

 two in number, and lie above the cloaca, into which they 

 empty, a papilla in the roof indicating the exit orifice. They 

 are elongate sacs, and about 1 inch long in the 8 -foot male 

 examined. They act as reservoirs toa peculiar secretion, which 

 is of the consistency of custard, and in the specimen referred 

 to amounted to about half a drachm in each sac. The 

 secretion in this species is yellow, like custard, and has a 

 disagreeable smell. It is supposed that these gl'ands are 

 associated with the sexual functions, but I question this, 

 because I find the secretion abundant in both sexes at all 

 seasons of the year and in the young. 



The male genitalia (two) are cylindrical organs when 

 extruded, and are surmounted with a fringe of white, cartila- 

 ginous, recurved, spinous processes. Two specially large 

 processes are situated on the ventral aspect of the organ. 

 They serve to effect a very strong conjunction when in coitu. 



(c) Method of Reproduction: The species is oviparous in 

 habit. 



(6) The Act of Mating: Major Frere encountered a pair 

 in coitu on July 20, and wrote to me as follows concerning 

 the incident : " They were surrounded by thick felled scrub, 

 so I had to kill them, being unable to take them alive. The 

 ventral aspect of their anal shields appeared to be closely 

 approximated. Their bodies Were twined together and 



* Descent of Man, page 538. 



