24S MAJOR F. WALL, I.M.S.', C.M.Z.S. - 



the species of this family, the suture when present running to the second supra- 

 labial. The ventrals are very small and few, and the costals are juxtaposed 

 everywhere. 



Description. — R ostra 1, — touches four shields, the portion visible above is about 

 one-third, or less than one-third the internasal suture. Prefrontals, — touch the 

 second supralabial. Frontal, — entire, touches six shields; the fronto-parietal 

 sutures are longest, the f ronto-praefrontal shortest. P a r i e t a Is, — entire. Nasal s, — 

 touch the first and second supralabials, a suture from the nostril runs to the first 

 supralabial ; sometimes other sutures radiating from the nostril divide this shield into 

 two or three segments, one of which may resemb'e a loreal (hence the lor eat a of Gray 

 and Gunther). Prse oculars, — one. Postoculars, — one, two, or three. Tem- 

 porals, — two, three, or four small superposed shields. Supralabials, — seven or 

 eight, the third and fourth usually touch the eye (rarely the fourth or fifth only, or the 

 third and fifth). Inf ralabials, — the fourth is the largest of the series, and in con- 

 tact with three or four scales behind. Marginals, — a more or less complete row be- 

 hind the second infralabial. Sublinguals, — small or absent. Costals, — an- 

 teriorly 26 to 32, midbody 27 to 37, posteriorly 27 to 34; juxtaposed everywhere; 

 the lowest three or four rows enlarged. Ventrals, — 130 to 200, smaller than the 

 last costal row. 



Colour. — Olivaceous-grey or yellowish with distinct though ill-defined blackish 

 bands, or dorsal bars, the latter often confluent vertebrally. 



Habitat. — The Coromandel Coast of India (Puri), through the Ma 1 ayan Archi- 

 pelago to New Guinea. It is rare in the Bay of Bengal, but appears to be not uncom- 

 mon about the Philippines. 



The post-maxillary teeth are grooved. 



HYDRUS. 

 Hydrus plattjrus (Linnaeus). 



Anguis platura, Linn., Sys. Nat., 1766, i, p. 391. 

 " Nalla Wahlagillee pam," Russell, Ind. Serp., 1796, i, pi. xli. 

 Pelamis bicolor, Daudin, Rept., 1803, vii, p. 366, pi. lxxxix. 

 ,, ,, Gray, Cat., 1849, p. 41. 



Gunther, Rept. Brit. Ind., 1864, p. 382. 

 ,, ,, Fayrer, Thanatoph. Ind., 1874, pi. xvii. 



,, ornata, Gray, Cat., 1849, P- 43- 



Hydrophis bicolor, Jan, Icon. Gen., 1872, 40, pis. ii and iii. 



Hydrus platurus, Boirigr. in Blanford, Fauna Ind. Rept. and Batrach., 1890, p. 



397, and Cat., iii, 1896, p. 267. 

 ,, ,, Sclater, List Snakes Ind. Mus., 1891, p. 62. 



,• ,, Wall in Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1903, pp. 95 and 101, and in 



Journ. Bomb. Nat. Hist. Soc, xvi, p. 310, and in Spol.Zeylan., 

 August 1907, p. 166. 



