SNAKES OF CEYLON. 381 



Colouration. — Head and neck quite black. Body surrounded 

 by 59 well-defined blackish annuli, about as broad as the in- 

 tervals at midcosta, and confluent ventrally in the anterior part. 



Habits, Food, Breeding. — Nothing known. 



Growth. — I have no record of the measurement, but speaking 

 from memory, it is less than 610 mm. (2 feet) in length. 



Poison. — Nothing known. 



Lepidosis. — Rostral : The portion visible above about half 

 the length of the suture between the nasals. Nasals : A 

 suture passes from the nostril to the 2nd supralabial. Pre- 

 frontals : Touching the 2nd supralabial. Frontal : Entire ; 

 longer than broad ; the fr onto -parietal sutures subequal to 

 the fronto -supraoculars. Supraoculars : Length about three- 

 fourths the frontal ; breadth about three-fourths the frontal. 

 Parietals : Entire ; touching the postoculars. Preeoculars : 

 One. Postoculars : One. Temporals : One large anterior 

 on the left side, two on the right. Supralabials : Seven, 

 first five entire ; 1st and 2nd touching the nasals, 3rd and 4th 

 the eye. Sublinguals : Two pairs, the fellows of each in 

 contact. Infralabials : Four ; the suture between the first 

 equal to that between the anterior sublinguals ; fourth 

 largest and in contact with three scales behind. Cuneate : 

 One between the 3rd and 4th infralabials. 



Costals : Longer than broad and imbricate on the anterior 

 part of the body ; about as broad as long and imbricate 

 on the compressed part, with a short keel occupying about the 

 median three-fifths of each scale. In 48 rows two heads- 

 lengths behind the head ; 54 in midbody (56 at the thickest 

 girth) ; and 45 two heads-lengths before the vent. Ventrals : 

 About 440 to 450 (damaged) ; entire throughout, and nearly 

 twice the breadth of the last costals. 



Dentition. — Detailed under the genus. 



Distribution. — The type is from Rangoon. 



Genus MELANOMYSTAX Gen. nov. 

 (Greek " melas " black, " mustax" moustache.) 

 General Characters. — Length moderate. Habit robust. 

 Body moderately attenuated anteriorly, where its calibre is 

 rather more than a third the extreme depth posteriorly. 



