284 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



streak to the gape, edged paler above. Labials powdered, 

 e?:cept for their sutures, which aie dark-browii. Belly dirty- 

 white, powdered with dark specks. 



Habits. — ^Nothing known. 



Food. — Nothing known. 



Breeding.— ^Nothing known. 



Growth. — Boulenger says the type is 550 mm. (1 foot 9| 

 inches). I have had a specimen 595 mm. in length (1 foot 11 J 

 inches). Abercromby in one place (Snakes of Ceylon, page 78) 

 says it grows to 21 inches, and in another (page 47) says he 

 obtained a specimen 4^ feet long. Since his description of the 

 snake seems to be a repetition of that given in Boulenger's 

 Catalogue (Vol. III., pp. 73 and 74), the identification of his 

 large examples seems open to question. 



Lepidosis. — (a) Typical — Rostral : The rostro-nasal sutures 

 are twice the length of the rostro-labials, and more than twice 

 the length of the rostro-intemasals. Internasals : The suture 

 between them three-fourths that between the praefrontal pair, 

 and about three-fourths the intemaso-preefrontals. Prasfron- 

 tals : The suture between them rather longer than the prse- 

 fronto-frontals ; touch the intemasal, postnasal, loreal, two 

 praeoculars, and supraocular. Frontal : The fronto-supra- 

 ocular sutures little longer than the fronto-parietals. Sv/pra- 

 oculars : About as long as the frontal, and about two-thirds 

 the breadth of the frontal along a line connecting the centres 

 of the eyes. Nasals : Two. Loreal : Longer than high, 

 about three -fourths the length of the nasals. Praeoculars : 

 Three, the upper hardly reaching the top of the head. Post- 

 oculars : Two. Temporals : Two ; small, half the length of 

 the supraocular. Supralabials : Eight ; the 1st and 2nd 

 touching the nasals : 4th and 5th the eye ; and 6th and 7th the 

 lower temporal. SuhUnguals : The posterior rather shorter 

 than the anterior, quite separated by small scales ; touching 

 the 4th and 5th infralabials. Infralabials : Five ; the 5th 

 shorter than the posterior sublinguals, about as broad as those 

 shields, and touching two scales behind. 



Costals : Vertebral row with scales about as broad as long, 

 and as broad as the ultimate row. Ultimate row with scales 

 about as long as broad. In 19 rows to behind midbody. 



