226 
Olf THE HEOGEAPHICAL 
Timor, by a slightly different system of colouring, and 
thus form a constant variety, either local or climatal. 
The Najas of the Sunda Isles constantly differ in several 
characters from those of Bengal and of the Philippines. 
The Ceratophrys of Sumatra forms a local variety or a race, 
different from that of Java. The Serpents are not less 
fertile in examples of this nature than the other orders of 
Reptiles. We find that individuals of the Tortrix rufa of 
Celebes are distinguished from those of Bengal and of Java, 
by a back of an uniform tint, and by two small spots on 
the occiput. The Calamaria oligodon found at Java, pre- 
sents, at Sumatra, a disposition of colours a little different 
on the back, and forms, at Ceylon, and in the Philippines, 
a third very handsome local variety. Analogous differences 
exist between the Coronella Baliodeira of Java and Suma- 
tra. The Lycodon Hebe of Java has a less size, and tints 
a little different, and less bright, than those of Bengal ; the 
specimens from Timor are smaller than those of Java, and 
have a deeper colour. The beautiful black-tailed snake, 
Coluber melanurus, inhabits Java, Sumatra, and Celebes ; 
but individuals from the latter have the nape constantly 
ornamented by an angular black mark, while those of Su- 
matra have the back rayed with black. The Herpetodryas 
oxycephalus is of a fine grass-green in Java; this tint verges 
on brown in specimens from Borneo, and those from Celebes 
have all the upper parts of a very deep blackish-brown. 
It will sufilce to say, that the Dendrophis picta inhabits 
most of the intertropical countries of Asia, and from the 
Senegal even to New Guinea, to enable us to guess how this 
species must vary in countries so far distant from each other. 
TheHryiophis nasuta, which usually comes from Bengal and 
the Marianne Isles, has the belly streaked with yellow at 
J ava. The Dryiophis prasina, common in the Isles of the 
Straits of Sunda, forms a local variety at Celebes ; the 
Tropidonotus quincunciatus, which is one of the most wide- 
ly spread serpents in India, shews at Java confluent spots, 
so that the upper parts are streaked with black. The 
Tropidonotus chryargos of Sumatra is distinguished from 
that of Celebes, and both from that of Java ; and this dif- 
ference, produced by a different arrangement of the colours, 
