196 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



rounded canthus . Eye moderate or rather large, with round 

 pupil. Nostril open and lateral. Neck fairly distinct. 

 Body moderate to robust, cylindrical, or compressed. Belly 

 rounded, or subangulate laterally. Tail moderate or rather 

 long, from one-third to one-sixth the total length. 



Identification. — As now arranged, the species are too varied 

 to allow of any simple method of identification, and a revision 

 of the whole genus is Very much needed. The ten Indian 

 species with which lam familiar, and of which I have skulls, 

 warrant this assertion. 



Habits. — Terrestrial, diurnal. Active, alert, courageous. 



Food. — Mammals, birds, reptiles, and batrachians. 



Breeding . — Oviparous. 



Poison . — Non-poisonous. 



Lepidosis. — Rostral : Touches 6 shields. Internasals : Two. 

 Prefrontals: Two. Frontal: Touches six (rarely eight) 

 shields. Supraoculars : As long or nearly as long as the 

 frontal, half to three-fourths the breadth of the frontals. 

 Nasals : Two ; quite divided. Loreal : One (absent in 

 some). Prxoculars : One. Postoculars : Two. Temporals : 

 One or two ; well developed. Supralabials : Eight to ten ; two 

 or three touching the eye. Infralabials : Six or seven. Sub- 

 linguals : Two pairs ; the posterior equal to, or rather less 

 than the anterior, in contact with one another, or divided by 

 one or more scales. 



Costals : Longer than broad, rectiform, smooth, or keeled, 

 with double apical pits. Vertebrals not enlarged ; the 

 breadth of the scales about two -thirds to three-fourths their 

 length, and two -thirds to three -fourths the breadth of the 

 ultimate row. Ultimate row enlarged, the breadth of its 

 scales subequal to their length. The scale rows are very 

 different in the species numbering from 15 to 35 at midbody ; 

 in some the rows are the same number two heads -lengths 

 behind the head, in others two less than in midbody ; in some 

 the rows two heads -lengths before the vent are two less, in 

 others four or six less, than at midbody. Ventrals : Rounded, 

 or subangulate laterally. Anal : Entire or divided. 

 Subcaudals : Divided. 



