SIBYNOPHIS 81 



terior nasal highest and largest; loreal as long as deep, smaller 

 than preocular ; latter much higher than wide, much wider at 

 top than bottom ; supraoculars twice as long as wide ; 2 small 



postoculars, lower touching 2 labials; temporals, 2-:-^, lower 



anterior largest, wedged between sixth and seventh labials ; 8 

 upper labials, last much the largest ; third, fourth, and fifth en- 

 tering eye, progressing in size from first ; 8 lower labials, 4 touch- 

 ing first chin shields, which are longer and wider than second ; 

 eye rather large; ventrals, 145; anal divided; subcaudals, 93 in 2 

 rows ; scales in 17 rows, smooth, without apical pits. 



Color in alcohol. — Above dark reddish brown, which reaches 

 laterally to outer row of scales but does not include them ; two 

 white stripes begin behind parietals and continue to extreme 

 tip of tail, each stripe covering one scale row and parts of the 

 two adjoining rows; ventrally immaculate yellowish white; a 

 broad yellow area between eyes involving larger part of frontals 

 and supraoculars ; two small yellow spots on prefrontals, and 

 one on each upper labial ; some small yellow spots on parietals ; 

 chin dirty whitish. 



Measurements of Sibynophis bivittatus (Boulenger) , 



mm. 



Total length 460 



Body to vent 299 



Tail 161 



Width of head 8 



Variation. — There are three specimens in the Santo Tomas 

 Museum, all from Palawan. Like the types in the British Mu- 

 seum, all save the described specimen have mutilated tails, 

 which fact seems significant. The specimens agree with the 

 type description save in the following characters : The ground 

 color is dark reddish brown instead of black, and the color bare- 

 ly extends on the outer scale rows, and there are no spots on the 

 ventrals. In two of the specimens the white lines continue to 

 the eyes. In Busuanga, on the seashore, near the small settle- 

 ment of Minuit, I recently captured a specimen having the follow- 

 ing scale counts : Ventrals, 152 ; anal, divided ; subcaudals, 106 ; 

 upper labials, 8 ; lower labials, 9 ; scale rows, 17 ; fourth and 

 fifth labials entering eye. The diagonal direction of the suture 

 between the prefrontals is evident and leaves the left prefrontal 

 in contact with the right internasal. This strange anomaly is 

 present in all four specimens examined. I suspect that this is 

 the normal condition, although it was not mentioned as occurring 

 in the type. . 



161466 6 



