1870.] Indian and Malayan Amphibia and Reptilia. 225 



minutely freckled with brown ; cliin yellowish brown with rather 

 large light spots ; a broad pale band runs from the rostral through 

 the eye to the tympanoid region, a narrow white somewhat undulat- 

 ing streak from behind and below the eye to beyond the angle of the 

 mouth and continuing for some distance on the sides of the throat. 

 Total length 14 \ inches, of which the tail measures If inches. 



I long hesitated to separate this species from the Hymalayan T. 

 monticola, Gr u n t h., (1. cit. p. 388), there being hardly any differ- 

 ence in coloration between the two, but the robust form of the 

 body, eliptical rather high head, covered above with largish 

 shields, short tail, and rhombic markedly broad scales, arranged in 

 21 rows, seem to be sufficient characters to recognise the Penang 

 form as a separate species ; in T. monticola the scales of the body are 

 much more elongated, the number of small shields above the 

 rostral varies between 1 and \ or Y -~ or j-i-| ; these azygous shields 

 appear to be more numerous in the young than in the old snakes. 



The only specimen I obtained, near the top of the so called 

 Western hill on Penang, at an elevation of about 2400 feet. It 

 was lying, (on an early morning and after a rainy night), near a dead 

 branch in the middle of the path, when an old convict coolie who 

 accompanied me was just too late for my calling out to him, 

 and unfortunately stepped on the snake, which turned round and 

 struck him on the left foot a little in front of the ankle. The man 

 was shivering dreadfully with fright. I was only a few yards off, 

 secured the snake, which made hardly an attempt to move off, made 

 the man sit down and suck the wound for about ten minutes, both 

 the punctures having drawn blood ; but it was evident that the 

 fangs could not have penetrated deep, for the snake was unable 

 to close his jaws sufficiently well at the place where it struck. I 

 had the snake in my hand and explained to the man that it is only a 

 very small specimen, and not one of the very poisonous kind ; this 

 seemed to relieve a little his mind, though the poor fellow (who 

 had been for the last 20 years a convict in Penang and employed in 

 clearing jungle), was well acquainted with the danger he run into. 

 After sucking the wound for the first ten minutes, I gave the man free 

 use of my brandy flask, which he certainly appreciated. He then 

 continued sucking for about five or six minutes longer, took a mouth- 



