TRIMERESURUS 287 



Color in alcohol. — Purplish brown with a few, very small, 

 yellowish brown spots on posterior part of body ; below dull pur- 

 plish, the ventrals with light edges ; tail uniform color like body ; 

 no trace of a lateral light line. 



Measurement^! of Trimeresvrus halieus Griffin. 



mm. 



Total length 912 



Snout to vent 782 



Tail 130 



Head length 41 



Head width 27 



Variation. — The ventrals range between 170 and 182; the 

 'subcaudals between 52 and 59. There are 10 to 13 scales be- 

 between the supraoculars ; certain of the specimens are a uniform 

 color, others have large, distinct, irregular, brown bands, in some 

 specimens continuing even on the tail ; this is not due to age, 

 as some of the smallest and some of the largest specimens are 

 so marked. In life the specimens are often green. 



Rema:>'ks.— This species is very closely related to Trimere- 

 S'wrus flavomaculafus, and T. gramineus is separated from both 

 chiefly by color. The scale differences are rather negligible. 

 The average of ventrals in the Polillo form is 178 ; of subcaudals, 

 55, which is 7 or 8 lower than the average for T. flavomaadatus. 

 The very characteristic white line along the outer scale rows 

 is usually wanting. 



Griffin * remarks on its habits : 



The specimens were all collected along the banks of streams or in 

 damp localities. 



This snake seems to leave the ground very rarely. When the natives 

 of the islands go at night along the streams to catch mudfish by torcliliglit 

 the snakes are commonly seen near the edge of the water, and the fisher- 

 men say that they are there for the same purpose as themselves, and for 

 this reason call the snake i\Idnda-daliig, which, literally translated, means 

 "the fisher of the daldg (or mud-fish)." Sr. Cesario Canonizado captured 

 one specimen which had buried most of its body in the sand close to the 

 water's edge. The place where the snake was lying was pai'tly covered 

 with water, while a few inches away was deeper water in which numerous 

 small fish were swimming about for which the snake appeared to be lying 

 in wait. '* * * 



The stomach of No. 764 contained an entire frog. In the 

 intestine of No. 76.3 were found a few scales, probably of a 

 fish. The intestine of No. 765 contained a large ball of hair 

 of a rat. 



* Philip. Journ. Sci. § D 5 (1910) 214. 



