SNAKES OF CEYLON. 273 



The chicken at first fluttered and screamed with pain, but 

 soon became quiet. In about half a minute, greatly to my 

 surprise, she let fall her head, and shut her eyes as if dead. The 

 position of the wing prevented the cause of this being at first 

 discovered. The snake imperceivedly had wreathed its tail 

 round the chicken's neck, and the bird, had it not been 

 rescued, would inevitably have been strangled. Soon after 

 being disengaged, it recovered perfectly." Mr. D'Abreu 

 says in captivity his specimens have taken lizards of 

 the families Agamidse and Geclconidas, but refused the 

 Scincidee. He foimd a robin (Thamnobia cambayensis) in one 

 specimen. 



Breeding. — {a) The Sexes : According to my records females 

 appear to be much more abundant than males. Females 

 appear to grow to a much larger size than males. 



The anal glands yield a nasty-smelling secretion, like 

 custard in colour and consistency. 



(6) Method of Reproduction : Mr. D'Abreu had a female 

 at Nagpur that laid eggs in his vivarium. 



I have had many egg-bound females with eggs in which, I 

 thought, I found traces of very young embryos. Mr. D'Abreu 

 confirms this by telling me his eggs contained minute embryos 

 7 mm. (about f of an inch) long. 



(c) Season : I had one egg-bound female in Almora in May, 

 one in June, one in Fyzabad in July, two in Fyzabad and 

 one in Saugor, C. P. (India), in August. Mr. D'Abreu's 

 specimen oviposited on September 2. 



(d) Period of Gestation : Not known. 



(e) Period of Incubation : Not known. 



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

 My largest eggs taken from the abdomen measured 30 mm. 

 (lis inch) in length, and 10 mm. (if of an inch) in breadth. 

 Those laid in Nagpur measured 26 to 29 mm. (1 to IJ inch) 

 in length, and 12 to 13 mm. (^ an inch) in breadth. In a 

 specimen, with a body 2 feet and | of an inch in length, the 

 eggs in a single string occupied 8| inches. 



40 6(6)20 



