SNAKES 01' CEYLON. 229 



Coslals : I have seen a specimen in which the scale rows 

 Were abnormal, counting 13 for a considerable length ante- 

 riorly Just behind the neck the 6th and 7th rows from the 

 ventrals united, the scales then counting 13. The blended 

 rows later redivided and reblended several times, but the 

 count was usually 13. The specimen, a male, was otherwise 

 normal, the ventrals counting 163, and the subcaudals 126 



Dentition. — -From a Peradeniya specimen in my collection. 

 Maxillary: 21. Palatine: 13. Pterygoid : 27 to 30. Mandi- 

 bular: 24 to 25. This closely agrees with a specimen from 

 Kil Kotagiri in the Nilgiri Hills, in which the Maxillary 

 number 21 to 22 ; Palatine, 14 ; Pterygoid, 28 to 29 ; and 

 Mandibular , 24 to 26. In nine other Indian specimens 

 they vary, the Maxillary being 17 to 22 ; Palatine, 11 to 13 ; 

 Pterygoid, 19 to 26 ; and Mandibular, 20 to 24. 



Distribution. — (a) General : Peninsular India, Assam, 

 Ceylon. In India it extends north to the Central 

 Provinces and Central India. Further east, it extends to 

 the Himalayas. 



(6) Local: It frequents the plains, but ascends into the 

 hills in India up to at least 6,000 feet. Both Ferguson and 

 Haly report it common in Ceylon. Mr. Drummond-Hay 

 tells me he has never seen it above about 2,000 feet. 



Genus OLIGODON. 



(Greek " oligos " few, " odous " tooth.) 



General Characters (for Indian species). — Small snakes 

 varying between about 1 and 2 feet in length. Head ovate, 

 moderately depressed, broadest a little behind the eyes. 

 Snout short, rapidly narrowing to a subtruncate ■ extremity, 

 without canthus. Eye moderate in size, with round pupil. 

 Nostril small. Neck little, if at all, evident. Body short, 

 stout, cylindrical, of fairly even calibre, or attenuating 

 slightly 'posteriorly. Belly round or laterally angulate. 

 Tail short, being about one-fifth to one-tenth the total length. 



