'230 



AfAJOR F. WALL, I.M.S., C.M.Z.S. 



Hydrophis obscurus, Boulgr. in Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Rept. and Batrach. 



1890, p. 403. 

 ,, ,, Sclater, List Snakes Ind. Mus., 1891, p. 63, Nos. 8254, 



8256 and 8262. 

 „ Boulgr., Cat., hi, p. 284. 



„ Wall in Mem. As. Soc. Bengal, 1906, p. 286. 



diadema, Gunther, loc. cit., p. 373, pi. xxv, fig S. 

 stricticollis, Gunther, loc. cit., p. 376, pi. xxv, fig. R. 



Anderson in Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1872, p. 397. 

 Fayrer, Thanatoph. Ind., 1874, pi. xxviii. 

 nigrocinctus, Cantor, Cat. Malay Rept. t 1847, p. 128. 

 Distira lapemidoiies, Wall and Evans in Journ. Bomb. Nat. Hist. Soc, xiii, pp. 



346 and 615. 



A K C 



Fig. 44. — Distira torquata (x 2). 



1 have examined 29 examples of this very well differentiated species. The types 

 are in the British Museum. With them I think should be united 11 of the 13 speci- 

 mens at present labelled obscurus in that institution. As already mentioned under 

 obscuru in this paper, the remaining two specimens are Russell's types of Daudin's 

 obscurus, and do not accord in any way with the description given by Mr. Boulenger 

 under that title. His description, however, fits the remaining 11 examples labelled 

 obscurus which I cannot see differ in any way from Giinther's torquatus. Reference 

 to Mr. Boulenger's descriptions of these two species (viz., obscurus and torquatus) in 

 his Catalogue shows the following differences : the frontal is slightly shorter in tor- 

 quatus, and the posterior shields in contact. The first point is too trifling to consider 

 of specific value, and as regards the chin shields, in 7 out of the 11 specimens above 

 alluded to as labelled obscurus, seven have the posterior fellows in contact. I have 

 examined the examples of each supposed species side by side, and can find no means 

 of discriminating between them. The two should, I think without any doubt, be 

 united and Giinther's name torquatus retained to designate the species, as all names 

 given prior to this are preoccupied The posterior maxillary teeth in the type speci- 

 mens labelled torquatus are grooved, as I find them in specimens labelled obscurus. 



Description — The body anteriorly is from less than one-third to two-thirds the 

 extreme depth behind. The former measurement is. from a specimen of mine from 

 Burma (figure 44) in which the costals are anterior 41, midbody 49, posterior 41, 



