SNAKES OF CEYLON. 505 



History. — First introduced to scientific notice by Russell 

 who figured it in his first volume in 1796 (Plate VII.) and 

 also in his second volume in 1801 (Plate XXXII.). It 

 received its official baptism from Shaw in 1803. 



General Characters. — Head flat, heavy, and triangular. 

 The snout rather short, not declivous, with pronounced 

 canthus, and broadly rounded anteriorly. Eye rather large, 

 with an iris heavily speckled with gold, and a Vertical pupil. 

 Nostril relatively larger than in any other Indian snake, open. 

 Neck very much constricted. Body massive, relatively 

 stouter than in any other Indian snake, excepting the python ; 

 cylindrical, attenuating to the neck and posteriorly to the 

 vent. BeUy rounded. Tail short, and about one-seventh the 

 total length. 



Identification. — The following syndrome will fix its identity 

 among Ceylon snakes : (1) 27 to 33 costal rows at midbody, 

 (2) no large shields on the head, and (3) divided subcaudals. 

 For want of attention to lepidosis several other snakes have 

 been frequently mistaken for it, notably the large-spotted 

 viper (Trimeresurus monticola), the common Himalayan viper 

 {Ancistrodon himalayanus), the Royal snake {Zamenis 

 diadema), the Argus cat snake (Dipsadomorphus multi- 

 maculatus), Russell's earth snake {Eryx coniciis), and even 

 the python {Python molurus). 



Colouration. — ^The groundcolour is brown of varying shades, 

 most specimens being a sandy hue. The markings vary much 

 in detail and intensity as well as in hue. Sometimes they are 

 so obscure as to attract little attention, and this is especially 

 so just before desquamation. The sloughing process over, 

 however, the same snake may reVeal a definition of adornment 

 and brilliancy of colour, which may renovate it as completely 

 as a mess uniform transforms an officer when exchanged for his 

 khaki. The head has a more or less distinct dark patch on 

 each side behind, a dark streak sometimes picked out with 

 white, pink, or buff, behind the eye, and a dark stripe from 

 the eye to the lip. A conspicuous light line, sometimes white, 

 buff, or pink, runs from above the gape, through the temporal 

 region to the supercilium on to the ridge just referred to on 



