60 



black stripe, and dorsal row of black spots ; -white black- 

 edged neck-streak ; belly yellowish. 

 Ceylon. 



NEW CALAMARIDiE. 

 Mr. Theobald has made two new genera of Calamaridse 

 for two aberrant specimens, a third new genus for an 

 aberrant Ablabes and he restores Gunther's abandoned 

 genus Trachischium for Ablabes fuscus. 



Falconeria gen. nov. (Theobald). 



Scales 17, keeled. One anterior frontal ; postfrontal enters 

 the orbit ; labials 5. Anal and subcaudals double. Loreal 

 present. F. bengalensis. 



Blythia gen. nov. (Theobald). 



Scales 13, smooth. Two pairs of frontals. Loreal and 

 preocular none, both merged in postfrontal. Anal and 

 subcaudals bifid. 



B. reticulata, formerly Calamaria reticulata, Blyth. 

 Grotea gen. nov. (Theobald). 

 Proposed for Ablabes bicolor. 



Family IX.— HOMALOPSIDJS. 



Body cylindrical ; head thick, not very distinct from the 

 neck ; tail moderate, compressed- at the root. Scales often 

 strongly keeled ; ventrals rather narrow, anal bifid. Eye 

 small, prominent. Nostril superior, small, valvulated ; nasals 

 large, encroaching on the size of the anterior frontals (which 

 are often confluent). Head-shields generally tend to deviate 

 from the normal arrangement. The last tooth is transi- 

 tional between an ordinary tooth and a fang, but there is 

 no evidence that the saliva is poisonous. They live in rivers 

 and estuaries, rarely coming to land. 



