180 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



of Gunther, makes this statement.* Whilst fully agreeing 

 with, this remark, in this species I have no doubt that the 

 converse obtains. An average taken from the largest males 

 and females my notes record shows a disparity decidedly in 

 favour of the male. Again, of specimens over 6 feet 6 inches, 

 twelve are males and only two females. The longest female 

 is 6 feet 7^ inches. Though usually met with singly, they are 

 sometimes found in pairs at times other than the breeding 

 season. On January 5, 1900, in Rangoon, a. male and female 

 Were found coiled together beneath a flooring. This date is 

 one later than the normal hatching season. The male was 

 6 feet 1 J inches, and the female 5 feet 8J inches. 



I have dissected out the anal glands in a male. They are 

 two in number, and lie above the cloaca, into which they 

 empty, a papilla in the roof indicating the exit orifice. They 

 are elongate sacs, and about 1 inch long in the 8-foot male 

 examined. They act as reservoirs to a, peculiar secretion, which 

 is of the consistency of custard, and in the specimen referred 

 to amounted to about half a drachm in each sac. The 

 secretion in this species is yellow, like custard, and has a 

 disagreeable smell. It is supposed that these glands are 

 associated with the sexual functions, but I question this, 

 because I find the secretion abundant in both sexes at all 

 seasons of the year and in the young. 



The male genitalia (two) are cylindrical organs when 

 extruded, and are surmounted with a fringe of white, cartila- 

 ginous, recurved, spinous processes. Two specially large 

 processes are situated on the ventral aspect of the organ. 

 They serve to effect a very strong conjunction when in coitu. 



(c) Method of Reproduction: The' species is oviparous in 

 habit. 



(h) The Act of Mating: Major Frere encountered a pair 

 in coitu on July 20, and wrote to me as follows concerning 

 the incident : " They were surrounded by thick felled scrub, 

 so I had to kill them, being unable to take them alive. The 

 ventral aspect of their anal shields appeared to be closely 

 approximated. Their bodies Were twined together and 



* Uescent <if Man, page 538. 



