360 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



With a round central tubercle, which is visible in both sexes 

 before birth, if viewed under a lens. In from 27 to 31 rows 

 two heads-lengths behind the head (25 in my type of alcocki) ; 

 30 to 36 in midbody ; 27 to 36 two heads-lengths before the 

 vent. (Posteriorly they are two or three more or less than 

 in midbody, and two to six more than anteriorly.) Ventrals : 

 282 to 373 (282 in my type of alcocki), entire throughout ; 

 nearly twice the breadth of the last costal rows. 



(6) Anomalies — Prasfrontals : Sometimes fail to meet the 

 2nd supralabial. Postoculars : Sometimes two. Temporals : 

 The anterior is sometimes broken up into two. The posterior 

 is more frequently not well developed, but replaced by small 

 scales. Swpralahials : Rarely six ; sometimes the fifth, as 

 well as the third and fourth, touches the eye. Sometimes 

 the sixth labial is distinct from the anterior temporal. Sub- 

 linguals : The posterior pair sometimes separated by a single 

 scale. Cuneate : Sometimes two after the third infralabial. 



Costals : Rarely juxtaposed posteriorly. 



Dentition. — From four skulls in my collection. Maxillary : 

 Postnodal,* 6 to 7 ; scaphiodont ; grooved on their antero- 

 extemal faces. Palatine .• 6 to 7 ; anododont, isodont ; no 

 edentulous space posteriorly. Pterygoid : 12 to 14 ; anododont, 

 feebly scaphiodont ; posterior two -fifths edentulous. Mandi- 

 bular .-13 to 16 ; anododont, scaphiodont ; very feebly 

 grooved on their antero-external faces. 



Distribution. — (a) General : Persian Gulf to Tenasserim 

 (Malay Archipelago, Boulenger). 



(b) Local : It is fairly abundant in the Persian Gulf and 

 along the coast to Karachi. It is apparently uncommon on 

 the Malabar Coast, the only records I can find being one in 

 the British Museum presented by Beddome, and one in the 

 Bombay collection from Bombay. I have seen at least eight 

 specimens from Ceylon. On the Coromandel Coast it is 

 common. I obtained nine examples out of 192 seasnakes 

 from Madras in 1917, and there are many in the Indian 

 Museum from this coast up to Puri. It is seemingly rather 

 uncommon on the Burmese Coast. Evans and I got two 

 from Pegu and Moungmya, and there is one in the Indian 



* I have examined these in well over a dozen examples. 



