290 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



elongate ; remarkably compressed in life, cylindrical after 

 death. Belly rounded. Tail cylindrical, moderately or 

 very elongate, being one-fourth to three-fifths the total length. 



Habits. — Arboreal, diurnal, active. 



Food. — Small mammals, birds, lizards, batrachians. 



Breeding. — Viviparous as far as known. 



Poison. — Slightly poisonous, sometimes producing trifling 

 local effects, but no constitutional symptoms. 



Lepidosis. — Rostral : Touches six shields. Internasals : A 

 pair. Prefrontals : A pair. Frontal : Touches eight shields. 

 Nasals : Entire. Loreals : None in some species, one to four 

 in others. Prasoculars : One. Postoculars : One or two. 

 Temporals : One or two, small, scale -like. Supralabials : 

 Seven to nine. Sublinguals : Two pairs ; the posterior sub- 

 equal to or longer than the anterior. Infralabials : Six, 

 the 5th and 6th subequal, 6th shorter than the posterior 

 sublinguals, but much broader than those shields ; extending 

 further back than the posterior sublinguals ; touching two 

 scales behind. 



Costals : Longer than broad, without apical pits, smooth, 

 except a few of the median rows over the anal region, which 

 have mammillated keels. Vertebral a,nd ultimate rows 

 rectiform, the intervening rows oblique. Vertebrals enlarged, 

 originating gradually on the nape and ending over the vent. 

 Last two rows progressively increasing in breadth. In 15 

 rows at midbody. Ventrals : Rounded. Anal : Divided. 

 Supracaudals : In even rows. Subcaudals : Divided. 



Dentition. — Maxillary : Diacranterian, dinododont. Prse- 

 cranterian, oinododont, anisodont. Cranterian, two ; twice 

 as long as the immediately preceding, and grooved on their 

 outer faces. Palatine : Anododont, isodont. Pterygoid : 

 Anododont, scaphiodont ; posterior two-fifths edentulous. 

 Mandibular : Oinododont ; prsenodal. coryphodont ; postnodal, 

 small, kumatodont. 



Distribution. — South-eastern Asia. 



There are eight species, two or which occur in Ceylon, viz., 

 mycterizans and pulverulentus. 



