158 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



(/) The Eggs : The eggs vary in number from three to 

 eleven, but are usually from four to seven. They are elongate 

 white ovals, equally domed at each pole, and soft to the touch, 

 the shell resembling white kid until vacated, when it dries and 

 hardens into a somewhat crisp parchment-like envelope. 

 \Vhen seen in abdomina they are frequently, but by no means 

 always, particoloured, gray and white. The gray colour 

 appears to me to be due to absorption of colouring matter 

 from the intestine, for it is always seen on that part of the shell 

 which lies in contact with the gut, is absent when the gut is 

 empty, and present in some eggs in the chain corresponding 

 to a loaded part of the intestine. It may be originally 

 derived from the pigment in the skins of the creatures ingested. 

 When laid the gray colour is never visible as far as I am aware. 

 The deposited eggs in one clutch varied from 25 to 32 mm. 

 (1 to 1 J inches) in length, and 9 to 12 mm. (f to J an inch) in 

 breadth. The shortest eggs are decidedly broader than the 

 most elongate. I have removed larger eggs from the abdomen, 

 where I found them up to 42 mm. (If inches) long. At the 

 time of deposition they contain minute embryos. These aie 

 difficult to discover. The best means to do so is to slit the 

 egg carefully with scissors, and allow the contents to float out 

 into a basin of water, doing all manipulations subsequently 

 with a very soft camel-hair brush. 



Growth. — {a) The Hatchling : These escape from the egg 

 by means of the foetal tooth, though I have failed to find it in 

 the many examples I have examined. The appearance of the 

 eggs after evacuation is similar to that seen in other species. 

 A clutch of five was brought to me once, which had been found 

 in a planter's bungalow. A single hatchling was present with 

 the eggs, all of which, except a non-fertile one, were empty. 



The young when they escape from the egg vary in length 

 from 6| to 7| inches, or about one-third the length of a large 

 adult. They are exactly like most adults in colour and 

 markings. I have seen two of the same brood, one with very 

 distinct yellow bars, in the whole body length, whilst the other 

 had a few rather obscure bars anteriorly only. One of these 

 was very vicious, and bit me more than once when handling it. 

 It attacked, killed, and soon swallowed a young gecko I gave it. 



