TYPHLOPS 51 



preocular ; latter somewhat smaller than ocular, touching second 

 and third labials, and inferior nasal below; ocular large, with 

 eye usually visible beneath it, with a single postocular behind; 

 4 labials, the fourth largest, all abruptly increasing in size from 

 the first; 5 to 7 scales on lower jaw between angles of mouth; 

 scales in 20 rows around body ; body width in body length, 34 ; 

 tail a little shorter than wide. 



Colo7- in life. — Pearl gray above, each scale showing an area 

 of brownish gray and one of bluish gray ; below the same ; with- 

 out close scrutiny it appears a uniform pearl gray. 



Measurements of Tyj)hlops hraminus (Daudin) . 



mm. 



Total length 154 



Tail 2.75 



Width of head between eyes 3.25 



Body width 4.5 



Tail width 4 



Variation. — Practically no variation in scalation is observable. 

 In color the specimens vary from black-brown to gray-blue or 

 pearl gray. Some seem to turn whitish before they shed their 

 skin, yet certain newly shed specimens also are of a very light 

 color; in the one described the eye is almost entirely concealed, 

 and the scales on the head and body seem thicker than usual. 

 There are certain lighter tracings which invariably appear under 

 the scales of the head. The fringed markings which follow the 

 rostral and nasal sutures are characteristic of this species ; these 

 markings can usually be discerned even in gray specimens, if 

 a small lens is used. 



One specimen in my collection (No. 277) has a very different 

 appearance from the one described. The head as far as the eyes 

 is a pure cream color ; the eyes are visible as minute black dots ; 

 the head seems more rounding in upper profile and is thicker 

 than in other specimens. The color on the neck is light brown, 

 gradually merging into the slightly darker brown color of the 

 body. Each scale has a brown spot and a lighter area. No 

 variation from the typical scalation of Tijphlojy.s braminus can 

 be discerned. This variation is unique in a lot of more than 200 

 specimens examined. 



Remarks. — This is one of the commonest snal^es in the Phil- 

 ippine Islands, but it is not evenly distributed. Mr. H. C. Mc- 

 Namara collected more than a hundred at La Granja, La Carlota, 

 Occidental Negros, in a few weeks ; at various other localities 

 in Negros I have been unable to find a single specimen, even 



