A MONOGRAPH OP THE SEA-SNAKES (TlYDROPHIINsfi). 237 



from the Indian Ocean, and another specimen also in the British 

 Museum is Kempe's from India, the exact locality not known. This 

 form is very comparable to var. jayakari of viperina and var. phipsoni 

 of cyanocincta. 

 (6) Ornamented with many ocelli of very variable size and capricious distri- 

 bution, the largest occurring for the most part dorsally. This form is 

 only known from Australia, and has been confused with ocellata 

 (Giinther) which latter is very similar in coloration, but I consider it a 

 very distinct species. It deserves the name pseudocellata. I think it 

 very analogous to the variety elegans of cyanocincta. 



Distira ocellata (Gray). 



Hydrophis ocellata, Gray, Cat., p. 53, in part. 



,, Giinther, Rept. Brit. Ind., 1864, p. 378, pi. xxv, P., in part. 

 Distira ornata, Boulgr. in Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Rept. and Batrach. , 1890, 



p. 411, in part. 

 Boulgr. Cat., 1896, iii, p. 290, in part. 



Pig, 23. — Distira ozdlata. After G'inther's figure of the type specimen, Rept. Brit. Ind., pi. xxv. fig. P. 



I cannot accept in toto the view held by Mr. Boulenger in uniting ocellata (Gray) 

 with ornata (Gray). So far as the type-specimen of ocellata is concerned I find the 

 rows of costals much greater than in the other specimens so named, and they exceed 

 by 12 the outside limits given by my series of 36 examples of ornata at midbody. 



The difference is enormous. My view regarding the type-specimen of ocellata 

 supports that previously held by Gray and Giinther. 



The other specimens referred by Gray and Giinther to ocellata I consider distinct, 

 and I agree with Mr. Boulenger that they are but colour varieties of ornata (Gray). 



The species ocellata thus rests on a single specimen which is in the British 

 Museum. 



Description. — The neck is about half the extreme body depth. 



Rostral, — the portion visible above is rather more than half the suture between 

 thenasals. Prefrontals, — touch the second labial. Postoculars, — two. Tem- 

 porals, — two, ill-developed, superposed scales anteriorly, the lower reaching the 

 labial border. Labials, — six; (if the lower temporal is not considered as such) the 

 third and fourth touching the eye. Infra labials, — five, the fourth largest, and in 

 contact with the fifth, and one small scale behind; the suture between - the first pair 

 subequal to that between the anterior sublinguals Marginals, — none. Sub- 



