78 SNAKES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



Descri-ption of species. — (From No. 773, Bureau of Science 

 collection; collected in Manila Bay.) Head narrow, not distinct 

 from neck; ej'es small; body compressed; rostral wanting or 

 reduced greatly ; no regular head scales ; nostrils nearly as large 

 as eyes, valvular, separated from each other by a single narrow 

 scale; the row of scales above the row bordering mouth largest; 

 anterior row of scales on lower jaw broken into two deep 

 grooves, scales adjoining the scale row bordering mouth much 

 enlarged; no distinct chin shields; eye surrounded by about 11 

 small scales, about 11 scales in a row between eyes ; scales small, 

 juxtaposed, tubercled, about 100 rows around widest part of 

 body, those on back two or three times as large as lateral scales ; 

 no ventral shields ; scales along ventral surface form a small, 

 finely serrated fold ; tail short, rather compressed ; no subcaudals ; 

 neck and head less than half as deep as greatest depth of body. 



Color in life. — Above lead color with lateral indistinct mark- 

 ings of yellowish white, very slightly evident dorsally ; the slight 

 ventral fold whitish, terminating in a larger white spot under 

 chin ; dim light markings in occipital region ; anal region white ; 

 no line under tail. 



Measurements of Chersydtiis granidatus (Schneider) . 



mm. 



Total length 785 



Snout to vent 703 



Tail 82 



Width of head 14 



Length of head 20 



Depth of neck 15 



Greatest body depth _ 35 



Variation. — The young are blackish brown, very distinctly 

 marked on the sides with white transverse bars, which usually 

 fail to join dorsally; the white bars are widest laterally; the 

 head has two small white dots between and anterior to the eyes ; 

 a row of larger white dots across the occipital region. 



Remark),. —The species attains a length of 1 meter or more. 

 It is extremely common along the shores and fresh-water streams 

 near the seacoast. Females give birth to as many as ten young 

 at one time. The species is entirely harmless. 



NATRICIN.-E 



Hypapophyses present throughout the vertebral column. All 

 maxillary teeth solid; the postf rental bone not produced over 

 the supraorbital region. Scales imbricate. Teeth on the entire 

 length of the maxillary and dentarv bones. 



