1870.] Indian and Malayan Amphibia and Ueptilia. 201 



subcaudals 57 ; anterior frontals narrowly truncated in front and be- 

 coming gradually wider posteriorly ; vertical as long as broad anteri- 

 orly, occipitals about one-fourth longer ; other shields normal. Co- 

 lour above blackish brown, with an indistinct collar, and 58 broad- 

 ish yellowish white cross bands, irregularly divided and connected 

 with each other on the sides ; the scales of the tail are broadly 

 hexagonal, there are five undulating whitish longitudinal bands on 

 it, the middle one is made up of some larger spots. Chin, especially 

 in front, and the subcaudals mottled greyish, the rest, below, yellow- 

 ish white ; each ventral and subcaudal with a distinct black spot 

 at its base. 



This is, I believe, the first recorded specimen of this species from 

 the North West Himalayas, and others will no doubt also be found ; 

 it appears to be common in South India, and was supposed to be 

 peculiar to the Peninsula. In Eussel's figure, the transverse 

 dorsal bands are somewhat wider and less numerous than they are 

 in the Himalayan specimen, but there is no other difference between 

 the two. 



60. Lycodon aulicus, Lin n. (G ii n t h., 1. cit. p. 316). 



Xenopeltis unicolor, Rein., T h e ob., ex parte, specimen ct, quoted from the 

 Andamans, Cat. Rept. Asiat. Soc. Museum, p. 64. 



Tytleria hypsirhinoides, Theobald, (type) ibidem, p. 66. 



„ „ J, Journ. Linn. Soc., Zool. vol. X, ex- 



tract, Cat. Burmese Reptiles, p. 49. 



In his Catalogue of Reptiles in the Asiatic Society's Museum, 

 which was written in 1865, but unfortunately not published till 1868, 

 Mr. Theobald placed one full grown unicolored Andaman 

 specimen under Xenopeltis unicolor* and another still larger unico- 

 loured specimen, also from the Andamans, he called Tytleria hypsi- 

 rhinoides ; this last is apparently the same which B 1 y t h in Jour- 

 nal Asiatic Society, Bengal, 1860, vol., XXIX, p. 110 quotes as 

 "Lycodon aulicus, (L.) Uniformly coloured variety." 



I have examined both the specimens, and there can be no doubt 

 as to their identity with Lycodon aulicus. The peculiar depressed 

 head with a broad fiat snout is alluded to by Mr. Theobald' 



* This evidently is an accidental mistake ; the snake resembles in its uniform 

 colour to X. unicolor, and Mr. Theobald, when noting- it, evidently 

 omitted to take it out of the bottle. 



