NAJA 259 



medium-sized specimen from Mindoro ; this same specimen has 

 4 postoculars on the right side. 



The variation in color and marlvings is small, save that the 

 narrow transverse bars are very dim or wanting in older speci- 

 mens, and the color edging the scales on the tail is ciuite black. 



Remarks. — This snake grows to a large size in the Islands. A 

 specimen collected in Balabac by Mr. C. M. Weber measured 4.25 

 meters, which I believe is the largest recorded specimen. Unfor- 

 tunately its large bulk caused it to rot in the preserving fluid. It 

 is reported as being very common on Lubang Island, north of 

 Mindoro. I have not been able to verify this report. It prob- 

 ably occurs on all the larger islands. It is striking, however, 

 that I find no specimens recorded from the western Visayan 

 islands (Bohol, Cebu, Negros, and Panay). In fact, no cobras 

 of any sort have yet been recorded from those islands. 



NAJA NAJA Linnaeus 



The assemblage of subspecies now associated under this specific 

 name is so large that I have not attempted to give a synonymic 

 list of them. Synonymies for Philippine forms are given in the 

 treatment of the individual subspecies. 



Key to the Pliilij)pme subspecies of Najo-. naja Linnseus. 



a'. Scale rows on neck, 19 to 21; on body, 17 to 19; ventrals, 165 to 178; 

 subcaudals, 42 to 46. Black above with yellow reticulations or yellow 

 dots; a few yellow anterior ventrals, behind which ventrals are dense 

 black - N. n. samarensis Peters (p. 259). 



a\ Scale rows on neck, 21 to 23; on body, 19; ventrals, 178 to 186; sub- 

 caudals, 46 to 51. Black above and below with a yellowish V-shaped 

 mark; young dense black with few whitish bars. 



N. n. mlolepis (Boulenger) (p. 262). 



a'. Scale rows on neck, 25; on body, 21 to 23; ventrals, 187 to 196; sub- 

 caudals, 39 to 47 ; uniform olive or olive brown ; young, yellowish olive 

 with darker reticulations N. ii. philippinensis subsp. nov. (p. 2C5). 



NAJA NAJA SAMARENSIS Peters 



Naja tripudiaris var. F., part., Gunther, Cat. Col. Snakes (1858) 



225. 

 Naja tripudians var. samarensis PETERS, Mon. Berl. Ak. (1861) 690; 



BOETTGER, Ber. Senck. Nat. Ges. (1886) 116. 

 Naja tripudians Gunther, Proc. Zool. Soc. London (1879) 78; 



Fischer, Jahrb. wiss. Anst. Hamburg 2 (1885) 81. 

 Naia samarensis Boulenger, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus. 3 (1896) 385. 

 Naja samarensis Griffin, Philip. .Journ. Sci. § D 6 (1911) 266. 



Descriptio7i of species. — (From No. 427, E. H. Taylor collec- 

 tion; collected at Bunawan, Agusan, Mindanao, June 25, 191.3, 

 by E. H. Taylor.) Rostral one and two-fifths to one and three- 



