106 



brousht in for reward. As a rule the cobras found on the 

 coast are much lighter than those of inland districts. 



This binocellate variety is found in the South of India 

 and on the coast generally. I found two specimens in 

 Burma ; but, from their fangs being absent and the fang 

 matrices cicatrized, they had evidently been imported by 

 jugglers and had escaped. My largest specimen is 5 feet 

 8 inches long. There are few English residents in India 

 who cannot vouch to having seen specimens of 6 feet and 

 upwards ; but the application of a foot-rule has a very 

 dwarfing effect on snakes of great apparent length.* 



Variety h. (6 of Giinther). Naga raonocellata ? The Mono- 

 cellate Cobra. Kiotia of Bengal. Plate XVIII, fig. 2. 

 Scales 21; they are 25-27 at the ocellus. Ventrals 

 185-191, subc. 53-59. Instead of spectacles, this variety 

 bears a plain white ocellus, with black centre and margin. 

 The colours are very much the same as in the other variety, 

 but generally darker. This one does not grow to so large a 

 size ; I have only once seen a specimen above 4 feet 6 

 inches ; and the tail is rather shorter, one-seventh instead of 

 one-sixth. It is the cobra of Burma, but is found also in 

 Bengal and the Central Provinces. 



OPHIOPHAGUS, OvMh&i\ 

 The neck is dilatable, but to a less extent than in Naga. 

 Occipitals surrounded posteriorly by three pairs of large 



* Out of 1,200 cobras brought to me at Bangalore for the Govern- 

 ment reward, there were only four which exceeded 5 feet 6 inches in 

 length. These were respectively — a male 5 feet 6 J inches— a male 

 5 feet 7i inches — a female 5 feet 8 inches (tail 12 inches), weighing 

 2i lbs.— a male 5 feet 6f inches, weighing Z\ lbs. The first three 

 were perfect, the last had a rather stumpy tail ; reconstructing it, 

 from the number of subcaudals, I found that had not the cobra met 

 with some accident he might have been 2 inches longer, which would 

 have brought his length up to 5 feet 8f inch«s. 



