216 MAJOR V. WALL, I. M.S.. C.M.Z.S. 



tuberculate in large adults, the tubercles often bi- or tridentate. Ventrals, — 282 to 

 373 ; entire throughout, except a few posteriorly, twice or less than twice the breadth 

 of the last costal row. Colour, — olivaceous or greenish dorsally, merging to yellow- 

 ish costally and ventrally, or yellowish with dark bars or bands, which may number 

 from 34 to 70, but are most usually from 40 to 55. I group the various forms as 

 follows, and it will be noticed how very alike the varieties of this are to those of 

 cyanocincta : — 



Group (A) completely banded. The bands are very variable. In some examples 

 they are narrow throughout, in others broad. In some they are of even breadth from 

 dorsum to ventrum ; in others dilated vertebrally ; in others tapering ventrally. Some 

 of the posterior ones are interrupted costally in some specimens. In some instances 

 the black is only preserved for a variable depth dorsally, but the indication of the 

 completely black band of younger days can, though faint, be distinctly traced ventrally, 

 and also the ventral connecting band so commonly retained in adult life. 



In some the bands are discrete vertebrally and ventrally, and in others more or 

 less confluent, especially ventrally, where a broad stripe very frequently passes from 

 the throat to a variable extent backwards, and not uncommonly in the whole length 

 of the snake. 



(t) brugmansii (Boie).— Bands narrower than interspaces; no vertebral nor 

 ventral spots. It is one of the commonest varieties, robiista (Giinther), 

 bishopi (Murray), and melanocephalus (Gray) I place here. 

 The form is very analogous to var. B of cyanocincta. 



(2) spiralis (Shaw). — Differing from the last only in exhibiting one or more 



vertebral spots placed singly in the interspaces. There are usually a few 

 only anteriorly or posteriorly, but a regular series is exceptional. 

 In fig. 26 on plate vii these are not visible at all. It is from a specimen 

 so labelled in the British Museum. 



(3) Similar to the last, with in addition a series of similarly placed ventral spots, 



which may be as variable in number as the vertebral series of the last. 

 It is an unusual form. The only example I have seen, an adult, is in the 

 Colombo Museum (No. 113). The vertebral and ventral spots are very 

 black, and form unusually regular series. 



(4) Bands nearly as broad, or broader than the light intervals, and frequently 



connected in part, or wholly, by a broad ventral stripe of black. Head 

 black. With this I place melanosoma (Giinther) (see fig. 27 on plate viii), 

 flower i (Boulenger), and alcocki (Wall). It is rather an unusual variety 

 analogous to variety A of cyanocincta. 



(5) snbcincta (Gray). — With a series of costal spots. An unusual variety, the 



type of which is from the Indian Ocean. It is analogous to variety 4 

 of omata, and somewhat like variety D(a) of cyanocincta. 



(6) Barred dorsally but no costal spots. The type-specimen is from the 



Indian Ocean. With this I place the temporalis of Blanford, the type of 

 which came from the Persian Coast, and longiceps (Giinther). I have 



