DENDRELAPHIS 173 



its distance from nostril; vertical diameter of eye less than the 

 horizontal. 



Color in life.— Rich olive brown above ; head reddish to copper 

 brown, which color continues some distance on neck; outer 

 row of scales and half of second a slightly lighter shade of olive 

 brown; below light bluish green with the edges of ventrals 

 tinged with the olive brown of the outer row of scales; each 

 scale has a bright bluish spot which is usually hidden until the 

 skin is distended; skin between scales a purplish black; a few 

 small, scattered, dark spots on head; the apical pits appear as 

 minute dark spots; there is a trace of a dark line above last 

 upper labials; the lower part of upper labials rather creamy 

 yellow tinged with greenish ; lower labials yellowish. 



I\Ieasnrements of Dendrelaphis modestus Boulenger. 



mm. 



Total length 914 



Snout to vent 660 



Tail 254 



Length of head 24 



Width of head 10 



Variation. — The species here described differs from Boulen- 

 ger's Dendrelaphis modestus of Ternate in having a lower aver- 

 age of ventrals. I do not doubt that I have correctly referred 

 the specimens to this species. 



Griffin's D. fuliginosus * is undoubtedly a young discolored 

 specimen of this species. I have three specimens, a young and 

 two adults, from Negros. 



The greatest variation found in the Philippine specimens of 

 this species occurs in one from Bubuan Island, Sulu Archipelago. 

 An orange stripe is present in life behind the eye, continuing 

 some distance on the neck. This stripe is formed by a wash 

 color over the greenish ground color and disappears largely 

 in alcohol. The eye is larger, its diameter greater than dis- 

 tance from eye to nostril. The labials on one side are broken, 

 leaving two loreals, two preoculars, and two suboculars, the 

 labials not entering the orbit. 



Remarks. — This species in the Philippines is known to oc- 

 cur in Palawan, Mindoro, Negros, and Sulu The tvne is from 

 Ternate. 



* See Taylor, Philip. Journ. Sci. § D 12 (1917) 359; in the state- 

 ment "The type has a few more ventrals and subcaudals than the type 

 of D. viodestus" for a few more read a few less. 



