SIBILANT SNAKE. 



531 



with five dark lines or longitudinal stripes on a 

 tlueish ground-colour : the chief or middle dorsal 

 stripe is the broadest, and is nearly black, with a 

 whitish speck on each of it component scales : at 

 some distance from this are a pair of rather nar- 

 rower stripes of similar appearance, and below 

 these another pair of still narrower or more linear 

 ones ; the space between the second or lowermost 

 pair is of a paler colour than the rest of the skin, 

 or whitish : the abdomen is also of similar colour: 

 the head is ovate, covered with large scales, and 

 marked with several oblong, blue, and slightly 

 angular spots with black edges : the middle or 

 central spot is of a form somewhat resembling 

 that of a horse-shoe, with the divisions pointing 

 forwards ; the interstices between the spots are 

 of a pale or whitish colour : the tail is very long 

 and slender. This species is of considerable size, 

 sometimes measuring four feet in length : it occa- 

 sionally exhibits a kind of gilded tinge on the 

 skin, and the stripes are sometimes of a chesnut 

 or reddish cast. It is an Asiatic species, and of 

 an innoxious character. 



