436 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



throughout. Belly rounded. Tail short or moderate, 

 varying from one-eleventh to one-sixth of the total length. 

 Acutely pointed or ending in a blunt extremity. 



Identification. — The enlarged vertebrals taken with the 

 entire subcaudals makes the genus an easy one to recognize. 



Habits. — Terrestrial. Nocturnal, Rather sluggish. In- 

 offensive by nature. 



Food. — Almost entirely serpentine. 



Breeding.— Oviparous-as far as is known. 



Poison. — Very vimlent. The bite of those that are known 

 is usually fatal to man, excepting fasciatus, which rarely, if 

 ever, occasions death. 



Lepidosis. — Rostral : Touches six shields. Internasals : A 

 pair. Praefrontals : A pair. Frontal : Touches six shields. 

 Nasals : Divided. Loreal : Absent. Praeocular : One. Post- 

 oculars : Two. Temporal : One. Supralabials : Seven. Suh- 

 lingvMls : Two pairs, the posterior shorter than the 

 anterior. Infralabials : Four. 



Oostals : Vertebrals enlarged, gradually developing on the 

 nape. Lateral rows longer than broad, the breadth of the 

 upper about three-fourths their length and about two-thirds 

 that of the ultimate row ; rectiform, smooth, without apical 

 pits. Last three rows progressively enlarging. Ultimate 

 row broadest, the breadth of its scales subequal to their length. 

 In ] 3 to 19 rows at midbody. Ventrals : Rounded. Anal : 

 Entire. Supracaudals : In odd rows, the vertebrals enlarged. 

 Subcaudals : Entire (except towards the tip in bungaroides). 



Dentition. — Maxillary : Postnodal, 1 to 4 ; isodont. Pala- 

 tine : Anododont, isodont. Pterygoid : Anododont, isodont. 

 Mandibular : Anododont, kumatodont. The teeth in the 

 maxilla and mandible have shallow groo\'es on their outer 

 faces, those in the palatine and pterygoid have similar grooves 

 on their inner faces, 



Distribution. — South-eastern Asia . 



Eleven species have been described, two of which occur in 

 Ceylon, viz., rieruleus and ceylonicus. 



