210 Indian and Malayan Amphibia and Replilia. [No. 3, 



caudals 52 ; back crossed with 52 transverse oblique bands, indis- 

 tinct on the neck, narrow along the vertebral series, but broad at 

 the sides, some of them extending at their base over the length of 

 3-4 scales, others being bifid, and consequently narrow ; some of the 

 ventrals with lateral dark spots on the posterior two-thirds of the 

 body, along the central line checkered with dark, and each of the 

 subcaudals has a blackish spot near the centre. 



This species appears to be very rare in Burma ; Mr. Theobald 

 (Cat. Eept. Brit. Burma, extract p. 62, Journ. Linn. Soc. Zool. 

 vol. X) observes that he never obtained it himself, neither in Pegu, 

 nor in Tenasserim. 



69. Ophiophagus elaps, S c h 1 e g., PI. xi, fig. 7 ; (G ii n t h., 1. cit. 

 p. 34 L). 



The variety described by Mr. Theobald from Burma (Jour- 

 nal Linn. Soc, Zool. vol. X, extract, p. 60) also occurs on the 

 Andamans, but does not appear to be common. Mr. R 6 e p - 

 s t o r f f obtained near Port Blair a specimen of nearly six feet 

 in length, it is uniform olive brown above on the anterior one 

 fourth of the body, then a number of distant transverse 

 yellowish bands with black edges begin to appear, and continue 

 up to the tail, where each scale has a yellowish centre with black 

 edges, and besides that there are numerous narrow black bands 

 on it. Below, the front part is uniform yellowish white, in the 

 middle only a few ventrals are black edged, on the posterior part 

 all the ventrals and subcaudals are half yellowish half black. The 

 three first subcaudals, two about the middle, and one a little further 

 on are entire, all others bifid. The poisonous gland is rather 

 elongated and situated immediately behind the posterior angle of 

 the eye, extending to the tympanoid region. 



Considering the general characters of this species, its form, colo- 

 ration of the adult, number of rows of scales and the shields of the 

 head, there would hardly seem sufficient reason for separating it as 

 a genus distinct from JVaja, the only difference from the latter be- 

 ing, the presence of two large shields behind the occipitals, and if 

 these were not present, it would be often almost impossible to dis- 

 tinguish JV. tripudians from 0. elaps, for in many varieties of both 



