A MONOGRAPH OF THE SEA-SNAKES (HYDBOPHIIN/E ). 215 



cyanocincta. These specimens are Jayakar's from Muscat, the type of H. sublcevis, 

 and Cantor's specimen from Penang. They are all included with brugmansii, pre- 

 sumably on their possession of a large single anterior temporal, but there are, I 

 consider, weightier reasons for supposing them aberrant examples of cyanocincta to 

 which I will refer again. The differences I can see between typical examples of each 

 form are as follows : — 



spiralis. 



(i) One postocular. 



t2) One anterior temporal. 



(3) A single marginal after the third infra - 



cyanocincta. 



Two postocnlars. 



Two anterior small superposed temporals. 



A complete row of marginals after the second 



labial. infralabial. 



(4) Costals in midbody 29 to 36 ; 2 to 7 Costals in midbody 33 to 44 ; 7 to 11 more 



more than anteriorly. than anteriorby. 



I attach far greater weight to the costal rows than any of the other characters 

 concerned; and in the three specimens I refer to, Imakethem39, 39 and 41 respectively, 

 and from eight to ten more in midbody than anteriorly. In addition to this there is 

 a complete row of marginals after the second infralabial in all, and two postoculars 

 in one specimen. On the other hand, each has a single anterior large temporal, and 

 two a single postocular. I may remark here that the features which I take to be 

 abnormal in these specimens are exactly on a par with those made use of to separate 

 grandis from cyanocincta , and it seems most inconsistent to grant to one trio, viz., grandis, 

 the rank of a species and withhold this distinction from the other trio. 



Description.— This is based on my conception of the species based on 65 examples. 



Body anteriorly from one to two-thirds the greatest depth, probably less as nry 

 notes on this point are scanty, and I have no record of a gravid female. 



Rostral,— the portion visible above less than two-thirds the internasal suture. 

 Prsef rontals, — touch the second supralabials (eight exceptions, one of these on one 

 side only). Postoculars, -one. (Eleven exceptions, of which five are normal on 

 one side only). Temporals, — one large anterior succeeded by a subequal shield. 

 In 23 examples the anterior by a confluence with a supralabial reaches the labial 

 margin, and in 12 of these this occurs on one side only. In six examples there 

 are two superposed anterior small shields, in four of these on one side only. The 

 posterior shield is subject to greater variation than the anterior. Supralabials, — 

 6 to 8; the anterior 4, 5 or 6 usually undivided and well developed ; the third 

 and fourth (and in nine examples, the fifth also) touch the eye. Infralabials, — 

 four ; the last in contact with three or four scales behind ; the suture between the 

 first usually smaller than that between the anterior sublinguals. Marginals, — one 

 usually, after the third sublingual (sometimes two or more after the second or third. 

 Wanting in three examples, one of wrayi and both floweri in the British Museum). 

 Sublinguals, — two well developed pairs, the fellows of each in contact. (The posterior 

 separated completely in four specimens). Costals, -anteriorly 23 to 31 (usually 

 25 to 29), midbody 29 to 36 (usually 31 to 35), posteriorly 28 to 36; imbricate anteriorly ; 

 imbricate or subimbricate posteriorly; usually smooth in the young, feebly or strongly 



