2i 



COLUBEID^. 



pi. xi. flg. 5 ; Anders. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1871, p. 178 ; Theob. Cat. 

 Mept. Brit. Ind. p. 181 (1876), 



Rostral broader than deep; frontal a little longer than broad, 

 shorter than its distance from the end of the snout or than the 

 parietals ; eye between four shields, viz., a praeocular, a supraocular, 

 a postocular, and a subocular ; loreal longer than deep ; one elongate 

 anterior temporal, in contact with the postocular and the subocular ; 

 five upper labials ; three lower labials in contact with the anterior 

 chin-shields, which are not longer than the posterior. Scales in 

 19 rows. Ventrals 266-278 ; anal divided ; subcaudals 56-64. 

 Blackish above, with white transverse bands which widen towards 

 the abdomen ; these bands are very narrow in the typical form, 

 wider in the var. dayana (spec, a), but constantly much narrower 

 than the black interspaces ; some white spots on the head ; lower 

 parts white, with greyish spots, the continuation of the dorsal 

 bands ; these bands may form complete rings on the tail. 



Total length 830 millim. ; tail 110. 



Mouth of the Moulmein Eiver, Burma ; Singapore ; Borneo. 



a. S (V. 266; 0.57). ? 



132. HIPISTES, 



Hipistes, Gray, Cat. Sn. p. 77 (1849) ; Gunth. Hept. Brit. Ind. p. 286 



(1864) ; BouUng. Faun. Ind., Rept. p. 381 (1890). 

 Bitia, Gray, I. c. p. 63. 



Maxillary teeth 8 or 9, followed, after a short interspace, by a 

 pair of slightly enlarged grooved teeth. Head small, not distinct 

 from neck ; eye minute, with vertically elliptic pupil ; head-shields 

 small, parietals broken up into numerous shields ; nostril a transverse 

 slit between two nasals ; a single internasal, separating the nasals ; 

 a loreal. Body elongate, slightly compressed ; scales smooth, 

 without pits, juxtaposed or subimbricate, in 35 to 43 rows ; ventrals 

 narrow, with two sharp keels. Tail short, feebly compressed ; sub- 

 caudals in two rows. 



Coasts of Burma, Siam, and the Malay Peninsula, 



1. Hipistes hydrinns. 



Homalopsis hydrina, Cantor, Cat. Mai. Bent. p. 104, pi. xl fiff 4 

 (1847). ®" 



Bitia hydroides, Gray, Cat. p. 63 (1849). 



Hipistes fasciatus, Gray, I. c. p. 78. 



hydrinus, Gunth. Bept. Brit. Ind. p. 287, pi. xxiv. fig. H (1864) • 



Stoliczka, Joum. As. Soc. Beng. xxxix. 1870, p. 207 ; Anders. 

 Proc. Zool. Soc. 1871, p. 181 ; Theob. Cat. Bept. Brit. Ind p 184 

 (1876) ; Bouleng. Faun. Ind., Bept. p. 382, fig. (1890). 



Eostral nearly as deep as broad ; frontal narrow, twice as long as 

 broad, as long as or a little longer than its distance from the end of 



