A MONOGRAPH OF THE SEA-SNAKES (HYDROPIIIINM). 241 



(i) Completely banded. This is an unusual form seen generally in young 

 specimens. Jerdon's example in the British Museum from Madras affords a good 

 illustration. Another such is No. 8277 in the Indian Museum from Puri. I have seen 

 one other in the Bombay Society's collection from Karwar. Some of the bands are 

 frequently confluent vertebrally. 



It is analogous to var. (1) of omata. 



A young specimen in the Indian Museum, No. 8274, is intermediate between 

 this and the next form. It has dorsal bars anteriorly, and complete bands 

 posteriorly. 



(2) Forma typica (Schmidt). With black dorsal bars, sometimes confluent 

 vertebrally. This is one of the commonest forms, and very comparable to the forma 

 typica of omata. 



(3) Like the last but the bars modified into rhombs, the angles of which are 

 very prone to vertebral confluence. It is one of the commonest varieties. I have 

 seen specimens from Karachi, Malabar, and Swatow in South China. (The last in the 

 City Hall Museum, Hong-Kong, No. 2, labelled Hydrus major). 



It is analogous to var. (3) of omata. 



(4) jayakari (Boulenger). The whole dorsum black as from a confluence of the 

 bars seen in forma typica. The band thus produced sharply defined costally. Two 

 such examples are in the British Museum including the type which is from Muscat. 

 The other is from the Indian Ocean. A similar specimen in the Indian Museum 

 (No. 8276) is from Puri. A somewhat modified form is that from Bombay presented 

 to the British Museum by Mr. Phipson in which very indistinct bars can be discerned 

 across the dorsal band. This variety is analogous to variety phipsoni of cyanocincta 

 and inomata of omata. 



(5) nigra (Anderson). This is known from a unique example now in the British 

 Museum, which is young and completely black. It should be considered a melanotic 

 freak, but it is convenient to tabulate it here as a colour variety. It is from Puri. 



Distira jerdoni (Gray). 



" Shiddil, " Russell, Ind. Serp., 1801, ii, pi. xii. 



? Hydrus nigrocinctus, Cantor, Cat. Malay Rept., 1847, p. 129, pi. xl, fig. 8 (nee 



Daudin, nee Jan). 

 Kerilia jerdonii, Gray, Cat., 1849, p. 57. 



Hydrophis jerdonii, Giinther, Rept. Brit. Ind., 1864, p. 362, pi. xxv, fig. B. 

 „ „ Fayrer, Thanatoph. Ind., 1874, pi. xx. 



,, ,, Ewart, Poisonous Snakes Ind., 1878, pi. 14. 



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

 p. 408, and Cat. Brit. Mus., 1896, iii, p, 299. 

 ,, ,, Sclater, List Snakes Ind. Mus., 1891, p. 65. 



Wall in Mem. As. Soc. Bengal, 1906, p. 293, and in Spol. 

 Zeylan., August, 1907, p. 171. 



