SNAKES OF CEYLON. 475 



The eggs are elongate white ovals, with soft shells and 

 similar poles. The two sent me from the Bombay Natural 

 History Society measure 49 X 28 mm. (a shade under 2 inches 

 in length). The almost mature eggs extracted from the 

 maternal abdomen by Flower measured 53 X 34 mm. Eggs 

 sent me from Parel vary much and are much smaller, and it 

 occurs to me they may have been infertile. Two of these 

 measured 41 X 20 mm. (If X | of an inch), one 38 x 19 mm. 

 (1J x | of an inch), one 32 X 20 mm. (1J x | of an inch), 

 and a fifth 29 X 15 mm. (1J X f of an inch). 



Growth. — (a) The Hatchling : Phipson reported young meas- 

 uring 190 mm. (7 J inches) long when emerging from the eggs, 

 and Colonel Glen Liston had young only 178 mm. (7 inches) 

 long at Parel when hatching. All other testimony at my 

 command agrees in assigning to the hatchling a length of 250 

 to 280 mm. (10 to 11 inches). Assistant Surgeon Robertson 

 told me the young he saw just hatched measured 280 mm. 

 (11 inches). I measured one of those that hatched at Parel, 

 which was bottled at once, and found it was 266 mm. (10 J 

 inches) long. Nicholson remarks that at birth they are less 

 than 305 mm. (1 foot). Now, Colonel Bannerman extracted 

 an embryo from an egg forty-three days after deposition, and 

 found it taped 178 mm. (7 inches). Another that was removed 

 from an egg by me measured 228 mm. (9 inches), but it is not 

 specified at what lapse of time after deposition. It would 

 appear from these records that the artificial conditions in the 

 vivarium are not conducive to the development of normal 

 proportions. 



I have had young cobras brought to me measuring 266 mm. 

 (10^ inches) in June at Cannanore, and 282, 317, and 325 mm. 

 (11 J, 12 J, and 12| inches) at Fyzabad in July. Nicholson 

 remarked that out of 1,000 cobras brought to him in May to 

 August, 1873, 230 were young of the season, measuring from 

 305 to 405 mm. (12 to 16 inches), and of 1,220 in the year, 

 50 were from eggs deposited. 



It seems to be a common belief that young cobras newly 

 hatched are not poisonous. This is certainly a mistake, as 

 66 6(6)20 



