No. 39. — 1889.] ZOOLOGICAL TABLES. 



197 



On Snakes recorded from Ceylon either 

 not included in this paper or in 

 Dr. Boulenger's Work. 



There is no specimen of Ehinophis punctatus (Boulenger, 

 No. 293) in the Colombo Museum, nor can I find one of 

 No. 298, Silybura melanogaster. No. 393, Oligodon ellioti, 

 was accidentally given as Ceylon. The only specimen known 

 in the British Museum is from Madras. 



No. 419, Dendrophis bifrenalis, is not represented in the 

 Colombo Museum collection. I maintain that Dendrophis 

 gregorii (Haly, Taprobanian, vol. III., p. 51, 1888) is a 

 perfectly good species. It is however now too late to insert- 

 it in the table. No. 445, Dipsas barnesii, is wanting in the 

 Museum collection. No. 471, Qerardia prevostiana, is an 

 undoubted Ceylon snake, a specimen having been captured 

 by Mr. H. F. Fernando in the Kelani. No. 474, Gallophis 

 trimaculatus, has been found at Hambantota and Trincomalee. 

 Any of the sea-snakes mentioned in Dr. Boulenger's work 

 may be found off Ceylon. I have only described Museum 

 specimens. No. 522, Echis carinata, has as yet only been 

 obtained from Mullaittivu. 



The old Tropidonotus quincunciatus of Schlegel and 

 Gunther, the T. piscator of Dr. Boulenger, No. 435, has since 

 been re-described in the "Annals and Magazine of Natural 

 History"* as "T. asperrimus, Boulenger, Ceylon." I cannot 

 accept this separation of our Ceylon specimens as forming a 

 distinct species. I do not see that the characters given by Dr. 

 Boulenger make at the most more than an Island variety, if 

 even that. There is a very fine specimen in the Museum with 

 the quincuncial spots as in Indian specimens, I therefore 

 advise the student to alter No. 31, T. asperrimus, to — 

 " T* piscator, Boie. India, Ceylon, Burma, S. China to the 

 Malay Peninsula and Archipelago." 



* Annals and Magazine of Nat. Hist., March, 1891, p. 281. 



