SNAKES OF CEYLON. 47 



the snout. Chin with a mental groove. Neck fairly evident. 

 Body cylindrical, massive. BeUy rounded. Terminations of 

 the concealed rudimentary hmbs seen as smaU claw-like 

 processes on each side of the vent. Tail short, prehensile. 



Identification. — Costal rows more than sixty in midbody. 

 Ventrals about twice the breadth of the last costal row. Anal 

 entire ; as broad as the ventrals. 



Habits. — ^Terrestrial, arboreal, subaqua tic, sluggish. Move- 

 ments slow. 



Food. — ^Omnivorous, showing some partiality to a mamma- 

 lian fare. 



Breeding. — Oviparous except regius, which is viviparous. 



Poison. — ^Non -poisonous. ' 



Lepidosis (Indian Species). — Rostral : Touches six shields ; 

 with a wedge-shaped pit on each side. Internasals : A pair. 

 Prasfrontals : A pair ; separated from the frontal and supra- 

 oculars by a series of small scales. Frontals : A pair. Supra- 

 oculars : Present. Parietals : Absent. Nasals : Three ; the 

 anterior largest. Loreals : Many, small. Preeoculars : Three 

 or four. Postoculars : Three or four. Temporals : Replaced 

 by small scales. Supralabials : Eleven to fourteen ; first two 

 or three with cuneate pits ; two touching the eye. Sublinguals: 

 Absent ; replaced by small scales. Infraldbials : Many ; a few 

 of the anterior and posterior with roundish pits. 



Costals : At midbody. Longer than broad dorsally ; recti- 

 form ; smooth. Vertebrals not enlarged, about one-seventh 

 the breadth of the last row. Antepenultimate row about as 

 broad as long. Penultimate row broader than long. Ultimate 

 row broadest, and about half the breadth of the ventrals. Li 

 60 to 75 rows in midbody. Ventrals : Enlarged ; 242 to 330. 

 Anal : Entire ; as broad as the ventrals. Subcaudals : 

 Divided ; 61 to 102. 



Dentition. — Prmmaxillary : 4. Maxillary : 16 to 19 

 scaphiodont. Palatine : 6 or 7 ; scaphiodont. Pterygoid 

 8 to 10 ; feebly scaphiodont. Mandibular : 16 to 19 

 scaphiodont. 



Distribution. — -Tropical and South Africa, South Eastern 

 Asia, Papuasia, Austraha. The genus includes nine species, 

 of which one, viz., molurus, occurs in Ceylon. 



