180. CHBXSOPELEA. 197 



Snout muon depressed, squarelj' truncate. Eostral broader than 

 •deep, visible from above ; internasals nearly as long as the prae- 

 frontals ; frontal once and one third to once and two thirds as long 

 as broad, nearly as long as its distance from the end of the snout, as 

 long as or slightly shorter than the parietals ; loreal small and 

 elongate (rarely fused with the praefrontal) ; one prseocular, often in 

 contact with the frontal ; two postoculars ; temporals 2 +2; nine or 

 ten upper labials, fifth and sixth or fourth, fifth, and sixth entering 

 the eye ; five lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields, 

 which are shorter than the posterior. Scales smooth or faintly 

 keeled, in 17 rows. Ventrals 200-238, last usually divided; anal 

 ■divided ; subcaudals 106-138. Coloration very variable ; head 

 black with yellow cross-bars and spots. 



Total length 1120 miUim. ; tail 310. 



Ceylon, HiUs of Southern India, Bengal, Assam, Burma, Southern 

 ■China, Indo-China, Malay Peninsula and Archipelago. 



A. Black above, each scale with a round greenish-yellow spot; 



usually with larger coral-red spots on the back, resembling a 

 series of tetrapetalous flowers ; ventrals greenish yellow, edged 

 with black. 



a. cJ (V. 231 ; 0. 135). Anamallays, S. India. Col. Beddome [C.J. 



b. c. S (V. 215 ; 0. 132) Pinang. Dr. Cantor. 

 &2 (V.236;C.135). 



■d. (J (V. 238 ; C. ?). Kedah, Malay Penin- B. E. MitcheU, Esq. 



aula. [P.]. 



e. t?(V.228; C.130). Singapore. Dr. Dennys [P.l 



/. $ (V. 213 ; C. 124). Sumatra. 

 g. ? (V. 231 ; C. 132). Borneo. Sir E. Belcher [P.]. 



B. like the preceding, but ventrals not black-edged. 



a. 2 (V. 232 ; C. 124). Malabar. Dr. Packmann [P.]. 



*. c? (V. 218; C. 106). Batavia. 



c. Hgr. cJ (V. 204; Tawi-Tawi, Sooloo Is. A. Everett, Esq. [C.]. 

 C. 126). 



d. Hgr. cJ (V. 203: Philippines. H. Cuming, Esq. 

 0.?). ' [C.]. 



C Like the preceding, but vertebral spots confluent into a stripe, at 

 least on the anterior part of the body. 



a, b, c~d. t? (V. 221; Labuan. L. L. DiUwyn, Esq. 



C.P), $(V.227,225; [P.]. 



C. 134, 125), & hgr. 

 (V. 217 ; C. 131). 



e. 6 (V. 227 ; C. 119). Mt. Dulit, Sarawak. C. Hose, Esq. [C.]. 



D. Greenish yellow or pale green above, each scale edged and 

 mesially streaked with black, with more or less distinct black 

 cross-bars ; ventrals yellow, with a small black spot on each 

 side. 



«. $ (V. 232; C. ?). India (?). Gen.Hardwicke[P.]. 



