SIWALIK CROCODILIA, LACERTILIA, AND OPHIDIA. 
29—237 
ranging from peninsula India to south China, and P. reticulatus which is found in the 
Malay Peninsula, the Nikobar Islands, Burma, and Tenasserim; both species are 
said occasionally to attain the length of thirty feet, although specimens exceeding 
twenty are but of rare occurrence. 
PicteP has described some ophidian vertebra from the upper eocene of Switzer- 
land which may probably be referred to the present genus ; while Dr. FilhoP has 
described a species from the upper eocene phosphorites of Quercy under the name 
of P. cadurcensis. The genus Palceophis^ from the upper and middle eocene of 
England appears to be allied to Python, but the vertebrae differ by their more elevated 
neural spine, the lower position of the costal tubucle, and by the aliform process 
arising from the neural arch being pointed. 
Species. Python molurus (Linn^). 
Syn. Coluber molurus, Linn.® 
Previous notice of Siwalik form. — In 1882 the present writer® noticed some 
ophidian vertebrae from the Siwaliks of Sind and the Punjab, and observed that they 
were apparently indistinguishable from those of the existing P. molurus. 
Vertebrce . — In figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 7a of plate XXXV. four of the above-mentioned 
vertebrae, which were collected by Mr. Theobald from the Siwaliks of the Punjab, 
are figured of the natural size, while in figs. 2, 3, 3a of the same plate two vertebrae 
belonging to a recent example of Python molurus which measured twenty feet in 
length, are figured for comparison. The smaller recent specimen (fig. 2) belongs 
to the cervical region, and exhibits the long haemal spine ills') characteristic of that 
part; while the larger one (figs. 3, 3a) is from the middle of the dorsal region, and 
is characterised by the very minute size of the same spine. The fossil specimen 
represented from the posterior aspect in fig. 4 is somewhat imperfect on the left side, 
and has lost the greater portion of the neural spine (ns); the small development of 
its haemal spine (Z(5) shows that it belongs to the anterior portion of the dorsal region, 
while its dimensions indicate an individual of about twelve feet in length. It 
presents no characters by which it can be specifically distinguished from the vertebrae 
of the existing form. 
The imperfect specimens represented in figs. 5, 6 likewise belong to the dorsal 
region, and indicate individuals of from six to eight feet in length. Slight differences 
in the form of the zygapophysial facettes can be detected between these specimens 
and the recent vertebra represented in figs. 3, 3a, but it is not certain that these may 
not be due merely to their different serial position. The slightly imperfect specimen 
represented in figs. 7, 7a apparently belongs to the anterior part of the caudal region, 
and indicates an individual about equal in size to the two preceding specimens. A 
1 “ Materiaux pour la Paleontologie Suisse,” vol. I. “Ann. Vert d. 1. Faune Eocene” p. 100. pi. VIII. figs. 8-10 
(1855-57). 2 ‘ Ann. Sci. Geol.’ vol. VIII. art 1. p. 270 (1877). 
3 “ Reptilia of London Clay, etc.” part 2 pp. 56-66 (1850). 4 “ Syst. Nat.” ed. 12. vol. I. p. 225 (1766; — Coluhcr. 
5 Loc. cit. 6 ‘ Kec. Geol. Surv. Ind.’ vol. XV. p. 106 (1882). 
H 
