PELAMIS BICOLOR. 113 



The form of this species is long and slender, and it is of a black 

 colour, fasciated throughout its whole length by numerous yellowish 

 white pointed bands, rising upwards from the abdomen, and almost 

 meeting at their tips on the ridge of the back. It appears to arrive 

 at a considerable size, though the specimen figured by Dr. Russel 

 scarcely measures two feet in length. The teeth in Russel's spe- 

 cimen were very small ; but in the larger individuals examined by 

 Schneider, a large, curved fang-like tooth was observed on each 

 side in the upper jaw ; hence it is supposed to be a venomous 

 snake. 



HYDROPHIS CURTUS.— Short JVater-Snake. 



Spec. Char. Body compressed ; head flattish ; colour 

 pale yellow, with a series of decurrent dusky bands, 

 somewhat confluent above. 



Hydrus Curttis-, Shaw, Zool. iii. p. 682* 



Length about a foot. Inhabits India. 



PELAMIS BICOLOR, 



Black-backed Pelamis. 

 Pl. XIX. 



Gen. Char. Head large, depressed, dilated behind, 

 shielded ; jaws very dilatable ; body with small equal 

 square plates ; scales rather reticulated than imbri- 

 cated ; tail compressed vertically. 



Spec Char. Head and upper half of the body dark 

 brown or black ; abdomen and sides pale yellow ; back 

 carinated ; tail spotted with black. 



