154 SNAKES OP THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



Color in life.— Above bright yellowish to whitish green, 

 growing more yellowish green on sides; anterior part of scales, 

 and skin between scales, tinged with bluish slate or cream 

 yellow; skin, when distended, shows dim diagonal bars of 

 darker and lighter color; head olive, labials greenish, tail 

 yellowish drab to flesh color, anterior part of scales with dim 

 dark edge; below more yellowish than on sides, inner sutures 

 of subcaudals edged with darker; chin, throat, and belly cream 

 yellow; outer edges of ventrals greenish. 



Measurements of Gonyosoiiia oxycepluduin (Boie). 



mm. 



Total length 1,965 



Snout to vent 1,480 



Tail -185 



Length of head 52 



Width of head 27 



Variation. — Philippine specimens examined have the follow- 

 ing variations in scale counts : Ventrals, 240 to 253 ; subcau- 

 dals, 122 to 135; upper labials, 8 to 11; and lower labials, 12 

 to 15. One specimen (No. 415, Bureau of Science collection) 

 has the right intei nasal and the two right nasals fused into a 

 single scale. No. 327 (E. H. Taylor collection) has the head 

 blackish with a longitudinal dai'k line on side of head, and with 

 much dark color on body scales. 



Boulenger * gives the variation in scale counts as follows : 

 Ventrals, 233 to 263; subcaudals, 122 to 149; 9 to 11 upper 

 labials, 2, rarely 3, entering eye ; scales in 23 to 27 rows around 

 body. His specimen "g" from the Philippines (exact locality 

 unknown) has 27 scale rows. The largest specimen he lists 

 measures 2,300 millimeters in length ; the tail, 480. 



Remarks. — This large arboreal snake probably attains a 

 length of 2.5 meters. It is not rare in the Philippines, but is 

 confined largely to forested or mountainous districts. Speci- 

 mens I have observed in a wild state were usually coiled about 

 branches of trees. One young specimen captured was coiled 

 under a small fallen log. In the Philippines it has been taken 

 in Luzon (several localities), Palawan, Balabac, and Negros. 

 It probably occurs in all of the larger islands. It is also 

 known from Tenasserim, Malay Peninsula, Java, Borneo, and 

 the Natuna Islands. The snake is not poisonous. 



Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus. 2 (1894) 



