SNAKES OF CEYLON. 387 



identify it. The last supralabial is quite characteristic, 

 being very large and touching the parietals behind the post- 

 ocular. The third infralabial is also quite distinctive, being 

 the largest of the series and touching two scales only behind. 

 The costals are also distinctive, being broader than long 

 everywhere. 



Colouration.— Olivaceous dorsally, merging to yellowish 

 ventrally. The young are surrounded by from 31 to 41 black 

 bands, with usually intermediate dorsal black spots or bars. 

 As the snake ages the bands tend to fade, and eventually 

 may be entirely obliterated ventrally leaving dorsal bars. 



Habits.— There is nothing special to remark upon. 



Food. — No special observations have been made on diet. 



Breeding. — (a) The Sexes : I have not been able to discover 

 any differences in lepidosis in the sexes, and there is no 

 disparity in their length. The male claspers are not bifid. 



(b) Method of Reproduction : It is viviparous like other 

 hydrophids. 



(c) Season : My one gravid female, which was in an ad- 

 vanced state of pregnancy, was killed at Madras on June 25. 

 I had four young from Siam killed in January that ranged 

 between 387 and 460 mm. (15 J and 18 J inches). 



(d) Period of Gestation : Not known . 



(e) The Brood : The gravid female alluded to already 

 contained three large sacs 70 mm. (2§ inches) long, with one 

 female and two male embryos. The female foetus was 292 

 mm. (11 J inches), and the male were 280 and 298 mm. (11 

 and 11 j inches). Both the latter had their genitalia exserted. 



Growth. — (a) The Young : No precise measurements for 

 the young at birth are available, but they are probably just 

 over 305 mm. (12 inches). My smallest postnatal length is 

 387 mm. (15£ inches). 



(b) Maturity : My prospective mother was 838 mm. (2 feet 

 9 inches). 



(c) Maximum Length : My largest example was 915 mm. 

 (3 feet). 



Poison.- -Nothing known. It has not been worked with 

 in the laboratory, and there are no recorded casualties from 

 its bite. 



55 6(6)20 



