434 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



(b) Anomalies — Prefrontals : The median one is rarefy 

 absent. Temporals : The anterior is sometimes divided into 

 two superimposed parts. Supralabials : Rarely six. 



Dentition. — From one skull in my collection. Maxillary : 

 Postnodal,* 1. Palatine: 6. Pterygoid: 13. Mandibular : 9. 



Distribution. — (a) Generaal : Bay of Bengal to Chinese sea. 

 Loo Choo Islands. Western South Pacific Ocean. 



(b) Local : Its favoured haunt is the Western South Pacific 

 Ocean, where it is not an uncommon snake. Around the Loo 

 Choo Islands it is a fairly common species. I have examined 

 many of Mr. Owston's collecting from this region. I saw 

 one in the Hong Kong Museum labelled " Penang, ' ' and there is 

 one in the British Museum from the same place. The eastern 

 side of the Bay of Bengal appears to be the extreme western 

 limit of its distribution. There are two in the Indian Museum 

 from the Nicobars, two from Sandaway Islands, and one from 

 Ramri Island on the Burmese Coast. 



Sub-family 8 Elapinse, 



(Named after the type genus Elaps.) 



General Characters. — Head moderate to broad, snout short 

 or moderate, with a slight indication of a canthus. Eye 

 moderate in size, with a round or vertical pupil. Nostril 

 small or moderate and lateral. Neck more or less evident. 

 Body moderate or long ; depressed, cylindrical, or compressed ; 

 slender or robust. Belly rounded. Tail short to moderate, 

 cylindrical. 



Identification. — No external characters can be relied upon 

 to indicate the sub-family, which is recognized by the protero- 

 glyphous maxillary dentition coupled with the cylindrical tail. 



Habits. — Terrestrial. Viviparous or oviparous. 



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



Poison. — All are poisonous. Many of the species rank 

 among the most poisonous of snakes, and frequently deliver 

 a death sentence with their bite. 



Lepidosis. — The head is covered with large shields of the 

 Colubrine type. The loreal is absent. 



* I have examined these in several specimens. 



