BATRACHIANS OF THE MERGUI AECHIPELA.GO. 



335 



T. nigrocinctus, T. trianguligerus, Hypsirhina enhydris, Hipistes 

 kydrinus, Psammodynastes pulverulentus, Python reticulatus, Naja 

 tripudians, and Ophiophaguselaps — forma all more or less aquatic in 

 their habits ; and a Bothrops, possibly B. cantoris or B. porphyra- 

 ceus, Blytli. Only four species were procured on Sullivan Islaud, 

 viz. Tropidonotus junceus, Lycodon aulicus, Bipsas carinata, and 

 Python reticulatus. Three snakes — Tragops prasinus, Naja tripu- 

 dians, and another example of the foregoing uunamed Bothrops — 

 were encountered on Kisseraing Island in the course of a few 

 hours, which would seem to indicate that that island is rich in 

 snakes. Of the foregoing serpents, Tropidonotus chrysargus 

 and Bipsas carinata are apparently new to the Tenasserim pro- 

 vince. 



The Hydrophids are extensively represented iu the harbour 

 of Mergui, which lies on the seaward lace of an island formed by 

 two mouths of the Tenasserim river. The mud-flats lying between 

 these two mouths are studded over with extensive fishing-stakes of 

 an ingenious description, into vshich the shoals of fish, and the 

 Hydrophids that follow them, have their course directed by 

 long lines of palisaues terminating towards the sea in a large 

 chamber from which they fail to escape. At low water, from a 

 platform, the fishermen visit the chambers, and ladle out the 

 contents by means of hand-nets. In this way I obtained nine 

 species of Hydrophids, whereas although I had spent some hours 

 almost daily in the sea among the islands, I did not observe a 

 single species of this genus in any of the localities I visited. It is 

 therefore probable that the species obtained at Mergui are more 

 or less estuarine in iheir habits, and do not select thoroughly 

 marine situations for their feeding-grounds. The nine species 

 were the following, viz. : H. Jerdoni, H. robusta, PL. latifasciata, 

 PL. cyanocincta, LP. gracilis, LL. stricticollis, H. Jayakari, H. 

 Mardwickii, and Enhydrina valakadyn. The only two of those 

 species hitherto recorded from Mergui are H. Jerdoni and 

 H. latifasciata ; but besides the nine, H. nigrocincta, H. striatus, 

 and H. trachyceps * occur in the strong tide-way of the harbour. 

 H. Jayakari is a recently described species from near Muscat t- 

 Chelone my das is found among the islands ; but the only one 



* It is possible that this species described by Theobald may prove to be 



II. cyanocincta. 



t Bouienger, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. xx. Dec. 1887, p. 408. 



