" 



214 SNAKES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



large, three-fourths as wide as long, bordered laterally by 4 tem- 

 porals, in contact with superior postocular ; nasal single, wedge- 

 shaped, nostril pierced near central upper part; loreal wanting; 

 preocular rather large, touching 2 labials; supraocular as long 

 as and but slightly narrower than frontal, in contact with 

 prefrontal at a single point; 2 postoculars, superior largest; 

 temporals 2 + 2 + 2 + 2, gradually increasing in size ; first scale 

 row behind temporals and parietals somewhat enlarged ; 9 upper 

 labials, fourth, fifth, and sixth entering eye; 9 lower labials, 4 

 in contact with anterior pair of chin shields ; these are not 

 more than half the length of second pair ; ventrals 186 ; anal 

 divided; subcaudals 135; scales in 15 smooth rows, somewhat 

 rectangular in shape, apical pits wanting; ventrals and sub- 

 caudals with keel and notch, the ends rather angular; diameter 

 of eye much less than distance from nostril, pupil horizontal. 

 Color in life. — Above dull brownish gray, with many of the 

 scales on first fourth of body edged or spotted irregularly with 

 black, the rest of body with scattered dorsal spots, the scales 

 minutely powdered with small various-sized dots ; below creamy 

 white, with a powdering of small and minute dots; throat and 

 chin immaculate; hea'd thickly spotted with rather large brown- 

 ish spots; prefrontals each with a short line; internasals with 

 diagonal lines ; an irregularly edged line of lavender edged with 

 dark brown goes from point of snout through eye to neck, and 

 widens a little at angle of jaw ; a dull stripe from occipital region 

 to neck. 



Measurements of Dryopliiops philippina Boidertgar. 



mm. 



Total length 558 



Snout to vent 373 



Tail 185 



Length of head 18 



Width of head 10 



Va)iatioii. — The three specimens listed from the Bureau of 

 Science collection are grayish lavender in color. No. 1486 shows 

 much less spotting on the dorsal and the ventral surfaces than 

 does the specimen described. The knowTi ventral range is from 

 177 to 186; the subcaudal, from 111 to 135. Boulenger lists a 

 specimen 750 millimeters long. 



Remarks.— This species is known from Luzon, Mindoro, and 

 Sibuyan. I failed to find it in Mindanao. A single specimen 

 was observed in Bataan near the foot of Mount Mariveles, but 



