THE PBINGIPAL SPECIES OF POISONOUS SNAKES 135 



H. spiralis. — Olive above, yellowish beneath, with black rings ; 

 head black above, with a horse-shoe-shaped yellow mark, the 

 convexity of which rests on the prsefrontal shields ; end of tail 

 black. 



Total length, 400 millimetres. Grows to 1,800 miUimetres. 



Habitat : Coasts of India, and the Malay Archipelago. 



H. ccerulescens. — Grey above, with black cross-bands, which 

 form complete rings, or are interrupted on the belly ; head uniform 

 black. 



Total length, 665 millimetres; tail 75. 



Habitat : Bombay Coast, Bay of Bengal, Straits of Malacca. 

 ■ H. nigrocinctus. — Pale olive on the back, yellowish on the belly, 

 with black annuli, which are broader on the back. 



Total length, 1,000 millimetres ; tail 100. 



Habitat .- Bay of Bengal and Straits of Malacca. 



H. elegans (fig. 80). — Yellowish-white, 

 back with transverse rhomboidal black 

 spots, separated by a series of small black 

 spots ; belly with black spots or cross- 

 bars; head blackish, with a more or less 

 distinct light crescentic marking across 

 the snout, from above the eyes. 



Total length, 710 millimetres ; tail 60. 



Habitat : North coast of Australia. 



H. gracilis. — Bluish-black or greyish, 

 olive above in the adult, with more or less 

 distinct lighter cross-ba-nds anteriorly. 

 Young sometimes with rhombic black 

 cross-bands extending to the belly, or sub-interrupted on the sides. 



Total length, 1,020 miUimetres ; tail 90. 



Habitat : Coasts of Persia, India, and Ceylon ; Malay Archipelago. 



H. cantoris. — Body dark olive or blackish anteriorly, with 

 yellowish cross-bands above; posterior part of body ohve above, 

 yellowish on the sides ; tail with olive vertical bars ; a blackish 

 streak- along the belly. 



Fig. 80. — Hydrophis elegans. 

 (After Krefit.) 



