1817,] Malayan Peninsula and Islands. 1027 



ELArs melanurus, (Shaw.) (See Plate XL, Fig. 6.) 



Syn. — Russell I. PI. 8. (young). 



Coluber melanurus, Shaw, (young.) 



Vipera trimaculata, Daudin, (young.) 



r Waaler ~l 

 Elaps trimaculatus, Merrem, apud < g ',? \ M Young.) 



Strongly iridescent light bay above ; from the muzzle a longitudinal 

 black band, joining on the neck a broader transversal black band with 

 whitish edges ; a short oblique black line behind the eye, and a similar 

 from the nostril to the middle of the upper lip ; on each side of the 

 anterior part of the back a series of distant black dots ; a broad black 

 transversal band with whitish edges, at the root of the tail ; a second 

 similar, at a short distance from the apex ; lips, throat and the anterior 

 part of the abdomen iridescent yellowish white, changing to yellow or 

 orange on the posterior part ; the tail beneath bluish white, with large 

 irregular black spots. Iris black ; pupil circular j tongue black. 



Scuta 205 to 247 ; Scutella 24 to 32. 



Habit. — Malayan Peninsula. 



Tenasserim, Nerva, (Coromandel.) 



In general appearance this species nearest approaches Elaps in- 

 testinalis, (Laurenti), but the eye is comparatively larger, while the 

 nearly equilateral, hexagonal, vertical shield is smaller in the present. 

 The eye is surrounded by two post-orbitals, one prse-orbital, and beneath 

 by the third and fourth upper labials. Of the latter seven pairs cover 

 the iaws. The trunk is throughout covered by 13 series of smooth, 

 sub-imbricate, rhombic scales. The one described by Russell, hitherto 

 the only describer from nature, was a young animal. A similar, up- 

 wards of a foot in length, was killed in Province Wellesley. But the 

 late Mr. Griffith in one of his botanical excursions, captured an indivi- 

 dual of the following dimensions : 



Length of the head, ft. Of inch. 



Ditto ditto trunk, 1 10| 



Ditto ditto tail, If 



2 ft. Of inch. 

 Circumference of the trunk 1 inch. 



6 R 



