SNAKES OF CEYLON. 555 



piercing the nasal shield near its centre. Neck markedly- 

 constricted . Body short, thick, and cylindrical in form. 

 Belly rounded. Tail short, accounting for about one -eighth 

 to one-ninth the total length. 



Identification. — The scale rows 17 in midbody, together with 

 the Ioreal pit, will distinguish this from all other Ceylon snakes, 

 except hypnale. From hypnale it is distinguished by the 

 ventrals numbering 116 to 138 and subcaudals 27 to 39. 



Colouration. — Dorsally the ground colour is a light brown 

 or chestnut (as applied to a horse), variously powdered and 

 mottled With darker tones. The most usual and conspicuous 

 feature is the series of large oval spots down each side of the 

 body. These reach the spine above, and may be confluent 

 with those of the opposite side. Below, they nearly reach the 

 ventrals. In some the lower halves of these are obsolescent, 

 and the spots converted into semilunes. There is a series of 

 large spots low down in the flanks. The belly is dirty white or 

 grayish, heavily powdered with red and chocolate dots inter- 

 mixed. The head is very strikingly ornamented. The chin 

 and lower lip are blackish or chocolate, and the latter has a 

 pair of pure white spots posteriorly. The same hue is con- 

 tinued on to the upper lip. Before the eye this terminates 

 abruptly half way up the lore. Behind the eye the sharply 

 defined limit of black is bordered by a thin line of white. 

 Above this there is a pinkish suffusion, merging into the grayish 

 hue that covers the whole of the crown. Specimens vary 

 very much, some being Very light in colour, with subdued 

 powderings and mottlings, others dark with bold powderings 

 and mottlings. 



Habits.— (a) Haunts : All my specimens were in or near 

 dense jungle. 



(b) Disposition : None have reached me alive. 



(c) Nocturnal or Diurnal : No comments were made by those 

 who sent me specimens. 



Food. — It subsists mainly on the little skink Lygosoma 

 taprobanense. Many of these are evidently seized " a pos- 

 teriori " and cast their tails, as the stomachs of many specimens 

 contained nothing more. I have also found the tail of an 

 agamoid lizard, apparently a Calotes in the stomach. On two 



76 6(6)20 



