498 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



Identification. — Costals in 13 rows in the whole body length, 

 six supralabials, the first three touching the nasals, constitute 

 a syndrome peculiar to this species. 



Colouration.' — Dorsally the colour is a uniform light 

 chestnut as applied to a horse. Haly says golden gray. 

 Each scale has a brown or blackish spot. The head and nape 

 are black, and there are two well-defined whitish spots behind 

 the parietal shields. The tail has a black band at the base, 

 and another subterminally. These with the black head 

 account for Daudin's name trimaculatus. The ventrum in 

 Haly's specimen is described as rich mauve below the head, 

 graduating to pale yellow, then orange, and finally crimson 

 before the vent. Willey's specimen agrees, except that it 

 lacks the mauve zone anteriorly. Beneath the tail the sub- 

 caudals are pearly gray (Haly), pale bluish (Willey), between 

 the two black bands. These beautiful colours fade almost at 

 once in spirit. 



The snake bears a strong superficial resemblance to Oligodon 

 sublineatus. Willey suggests that the two occipital spots 

 may come into the category of " false eyes," and, as such, 

 may terrify its enemies and aid in its protection. 



Habits. — Very little is known. Haly remarks that the 

 specimen he captured " was making for the water with its 

 tail curved over in such a way as to carry the crimson and 

 black anal spot uppermost." I have received confirmation 

 of this curious action from Mr. C. E. C. Fischer, I.F.S. He 

 encountered a specimen at Walayar, on the boundary between 

 the Malabar and Coimbatore Districts of South India, and in 

 forwarding me the snake, he wrote " when disturbed it curled 

 its tail upwards so as to expose the coral red anal shield and 

 a few of the posterior ventral scales. The effect was very 

 striking, and I presume was a demonstration meant to terrify 

 or warn me." A similar action was noted by Flower of another 

 snake, viz., Cylindrophis rufus, a species not nearly related 

 to the, slender coral snake, but with a similar adornment of 

 crimson beneath the tail. He remarked of this species " when 

 touched or worried it will not attempt to strike or bite, but 

 keeps its head flat on the ground, usually hidden under the 



