370 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



Colouration. — The head is dark ohvaceous, uniform or with 

 some obscure yellowish mottling. The body, which is dorsally 

 dark olivaceous, merging to whitish ventraUy, is adorned 

 with from 41 to 45 black bars or bands, the arrangement of 

 which is variable. The various colour varieties may be 

 grouped as follows : — 



A. — With complete bands which taper ventrally, and may 

 be incomplete ventrally in the posterior part of the 

 body. It is comparable to varieties A of viperina, 

 spiralis, and cyanociticta . Apparently rare. I have 

 seen a specimen from Karwar. 



B. — -typica (Gray). With dorsal bars, which are discrete 

 and broader than the intervals. Analogous to varieties 

 C of viperina and spiralis, and D of cyanocinda. 

 The usual Indian form. Three of the four specimen? 

 in the Colombo Museum are of this variety. 



C. — Like the last, only the bars are modified into rhombs, 

 the angles of which are confluent or nearly so vertebrally. 

 Uncommon. 



D. — Like typica, but with lateral bars or large spots alter- 

 nating mth the dorsal bars. Not very uncommon. A 

 specimen in the British Museum from Madras was 

 presented by Jerdon. I examined a Ceylon example in 

 the Colombo Museum, and there is a good specimen in 

 the Indian Museum from the Burmese coast, presented 

 by Captain Lloyd. 



E. — inornata (Gray). With a continuous, broad, black, 

 dorsal stripe as though the bars of typica were 

 completely confluent. This stripe is sharply-defined 

 above midcosta. It is exactly analogous to varieties 

 jayakari of viperina^, and phipsoni of cyanocincta. 

 Uncommon. Gray's type is from the Indian Ocean, 

 and another in the British Museum presented by Kempe 

 is labelled " India." 



Habits. — There is nothing special to remark. 



Food. — No observations have been made on the species of 

 fish forming its special diet. 



