1870.] Indian and Malayan Amphibia and Reptilia. 187 



those of the vertebral series being generally larger than others, 

 proportionate length of the tail (about or near ^) to that of the 

 body, moderately elongated head, roundish body with no per- 

 ceptible keel on the ventrals, great number of ventrals and sub- 

 caudals, regularly arranged shields of the head, small subequal 

 teeth of the jaws, and at last the habitat generally near the water, 

 are all characters which distinguish the genus Ptyas, and in all 

 these the above mentioned species agrees with the well known 

 Ptyas mucosus and Korros as closely, as any allied species can possi- 

 bly do. I found Ptyas hexagonotus in a pool of a fresh water 

 stream on the northern side of the Penang island ; one had swallow- 

 ed a small fish and was evidently in search for other specimens. 

 "When attacked with a stick, it burrowed itself deeply in the mud, 

 but did not leave the water. 



The only difference which distinguishes Ptyas hexagonotus from 

 the two other Indian species, is the presence of only one loreal, but 

 as Ptyas mucosus has sometimes two in place of three loreals and 

 JPtyas Korros occasionally one instead of two, I cannot see how 

 such an insignificant and evidently very variable character could 

 be looked upon as possessing generic value. 



43. Compsosoma radiatum, Eeinw. (Gr ii n t h. 1. cit. p. 243). 



I obtained an interesting variety of this species near Moulmein, 

 between brushwood on the ground. 



The body is remarkably strongly compressed and the head flat- 

 tened, and depressed. Total length 32 inches, of which the tail is 6 

 inches ; scales in 1 9 rows, those of the anterior half of the body 

 almost perfectly smooth, on the posterior half sharply keeled, with 

 the exception of the two outer rows on each side ; ventrals 257, 

 anal entire, subcaudals 100 ; shields of the head regular ; the ante- 

 ocular and hinder end of the loreal are distinctly granular. Colour 

 light leaden grey above, brown on the head, yellowish white below 

 on the anterior part of the body, leaden grey on the posterior, and 

 whitish on the tail ; the four longitudinal dorsal black bands begin 

 on the posterior part of the neck and disappear in half the length 

 of the body ; the short longitudinal streaks on the sides, along the 

 base of the ventrals, begin immediately behind the base of the 



