244 MAJOR F. WALL, I.M.S., C.M.Z.S. 



is met with in individuals of many other hydrophids, viz., Enhydrina valakadyn, 

 Enhydris hardwickii , Distira ornata, D. viperina, D. nigrocincta , and others. Prse ocu- 

 lar, — -one. Postoculars, — three. Temporals, — many, small, and scale-like. 

 Supralabial s, — seven , the anterior five^ entire and well-developed , the rest small ; the 

 third and fourth touch the eye. Inf ralabials, — four, the fourth divided, the last in 

 contact with two scales behind. Marginals, — one or more after the third infra- 

 labial. Sublinguals, — two well-developed pairs, the fellows of each in contact. 

 Costals, — anterior 19 to 23, midbody 24 to 29, posterior 23 to 29; subimbricate. 

 Ventrals, — 156 to 209 about as broad, or narrower than the last costal row. 



Colour. — Yellowish-grey with a series of dorsal black cross-bars, tapering 

 subcostally, and a series of ventral bars alternating with the above. 



Habitat. — Torres Straits, Hong-Kong. 



THALASSOPHIS. 



Thalassophis anomalus (Schmidt). 



Thalassophis anomalus, Schmidt in Abhandl. Nat. Hamb., 1852, ii, p. 81, pi. iv. 



,, Boidgr., Cat., iii, 1896, p. 269. 



Hydrophis anomala, Giinther, Rept. Brit. Iud., 1864, p. 379. 

 ? ,, ,, Jan, Icon. Gen., 1872, 40, pi. iv, fig. 1. 



A B C 



Fig. Go. — Thalassophis anomalus. After Jan, Icon. Gen., 40, pi. iv, rig. 1 



I have seen no specimen. 



Description . — R o s t r a 1 , — broken up. Internasal s, — narrow, longer than the 

 prefrontals. Personally I regard these as detached fragments of the nasals which in 

 this species like other head shields are prone to subdivision. (In Jan's figure confluent 

 with the nasals). Prefrontals, — four? in one transverse series, the outer not in 

 contact with any supralabial. Frontal, — entire? (divided transversely in Jan's 

 figure). Supraoculars, — entire. Parietals, — entire (showing a tendency to 

 disintegration in Jan's figure). Nasals, — lateral; in contact with the first three 

 supralabials. Praeoculars, — one. Postoculars, — two. Temporals, — two or 

 three, small, scale-like. Supralabial, — seven to nine, showing a tendency to 

 subdivision (in Jan's figure the first and sixth are horizontally divided) ; the fourth, 

 fifth and sixth touching the eye. Inf ralabials, — the fourth is the largest of the 

 series, and in contact with four scales behind. Marginals, — absent. Sublinguals, 



