HYDROPHIS. 393 



Eab. — The Sind Coast. Specimens in the British Museum are from 

 the Coasts of China, Siam and Malabar, the largest being 39 inches. 

 Kurrachee specimen 41 inches. 



Hydrophis tuberculata, Anderson, M. and 8. B.; Murray, HdbJc, 

 Zool., Sfc, Sind, p. 262; Faijrer, Thanatophidia, p. 28. 



Head slightly broader than the neck, and of moderate length. Neck 

 not very slender. Rostral broader than high. Fourth and fifth labials 

 below the eye^ One prae-ocular and two post-oculars. 3 — 4 tem- 

 porals along the side of each occipital, the anterior the largest and 

 almost entering the labial margin. The nasals are large and quadran- 

 gular, and much larger than the frontals, which are rounded behind. 

 The vertical is emarginate and much smaller than the elongated 

 occipitals- All the shields of the head, including the lower labials and 

 scales in the immediate vicinity of the head, are thickly studded over 

 with minute granules. 38 rows of slightly imbricate scales round the 

 neck, each scale with two prominent tubercles, one before the other. 

 Ventrals 321, small, about twice the size of the adjoining scales, 

 irregular, sometimes dividing; those on the fore part of the body 

 largest, and each with several minute tubercles on either side. Four 

 anal shields, the external the largest. Terminal scale of the tail mo- 

 derately large, tuberculated at its base. Trunk encircled by 59 

 bands (58-60 in Kurrachee specimens). Bight black bars on the tail. 

 The bands are broadest and blackish on the back, contracting on the 

 sides into narrow indistinct lines, continued on to the ventral surface. 

 Ground colour olive yellow above, bright gamboge yellow below. A 

 dark olive patch on the crown of the head, with a pale yellowish band 

 from orbit to orbit, and passing backwards through the temporals to 

 the neck ; an obscure dark line through the upper labials, which are 

 yellowish. (Anderson.) Length of Dr. Anderson's described species 

 49 inches. Kurrachee and Bushire 52 inches. 



Sab. — Calcutta, Kurrachee and Bushire (Persian Gulf) . 



Hydrophis Daya^us, Stoliczlm, Proceedings of the Asiatic Society 

 of Bengal, 1872, p. 89 ; Murray, Edbk., Zool, ^c, Sind, p. 262. 



Head short and stumpy in the young, a little more elongate in advan- 

 ced age, distinct from neck, which gradually increases in thickness 

 towards the middle of the body. Rostral one-third broader than high ; 

 each nasal somewhat larger than a frontal, which equals in size a 

 supra-orbital ; vertical hexagonal, obtusely angular in front and much 

 elongated and pointed behind, smaller than either of the two occipitals; 

 one ante, two post-oculars ; seven upper labials, the third and fourth 

 enter the orbit'; the fourth is sometimes split in two, the penultimate 

 is small, and the last one minute ; temporals 2+3-f pi., the lower of the 

 two anterior is only a detached portion of the labial ; lower rostral very 

 small, triangular ; six lower labials ; first three large, posterior three 

 much smaller; two pairs of sub-equal chin shields, either both are in 

 contact, or the posterior one is separated by a small shield ; all the 

 hfead shields above and at the sides are very minutely granulated. 

 There' are 33 series of somewhat elongate, sub-imbricate scales 



50 z 



