SNAKES OF, CEYLON. 35 



Rhinophis porrbctus Spec. nov. 



(Latin " porrectus " stretched.) 

 Willey's Rhinophis (or Earth Snake). 



Synonymy. — Rhinophis punctatus (Willey. Spol. Zeylan., 

 Vol. I., 1903, pp. 88 and 89). 



History. — The type specimen was captured by Dr. Willey in 

 1903 and confused by him with R. punctatus (Muller), 



General Characters. — A small species growing to 14 inches. 

 Head very small. Snout acute with sharp keel above. Eye 

 very small, less than one-third the horizontal diameter 

 of the ocular shield. Body very elongate, its diameter 

 at midbody about one seventy-sixth the total length. Tail 

 short. 



Identification. — Most easily recognized by the very 

 numerous ventral shields which number 281 in the " type." 



Colouration. — ^Head blackish-brown without markings, tip 

 of snout dull orange. A narrow blackish-brown vertebral line 

 passes from the nape to the supra-anal region, occupying the 

 median part of the vertebral row. The outer part of the 

 vertebral, the whole of the next row, and the edge of the 

 seventh from the ventrals are whitish. Tlie contiguous halves 

 of the seventh and sixth rows from the ventrals are blackish- 

 brown. All the remaining rows are blackish-brown with 

 whitish margins. Caudal shield duil orange with a subter- 

 minal dark band. 



Habits. — ^Nothing known. 



Food. — Nothing known. 



Breeding. — Nothing known. 



Growth. — Maximum Length : 355 mm. (14 inches). 



Lepidosis. — Rostral : Sharply keeled above, length fully 

 twice the frontal, more than half the shielded part of the 

 head. Frontal : As broad as long, decidedly shorter than 

 the parietals. 



