INDIAN SERPENTS. 
37 
No. XXXII. 
COLUBER. 
Abdominal Scuta 2 22 
\3 1 5 . 
Sub-caudal Squama 9 ■>, 
Called by the natives Mega Rehula Poda. 
The head small, but broader than the neck, ovate, depressed, and covered with twelve 
principal laminae, besides seven of smaller size. The middlemost of those next the rostrum, 
emarginate; the lateral, perforated by the nostrils ; a pair, small, roundish, between the nos¬ 
trils: the next pair larger, angular, with two small, round, laminae, on each side; the 
shield-form lamina, between the eyes, acuminate; the large semi-cordate pair, irregularly 
shaped, and truncate, with three small laminae on each side. The scales under the eye 
white. 
The mouth -, moderate size; the jaws of nearly equal length. The teeth , small, numerous, 
reflex; two palatal rows, and one marginal, in the upper jaw. 
The eyes high, not large, orbicular, prominent: the nostrils near each other, very small. 
The trunk round, swelling gradually from the neck to two inches and a half circumfe¬ 
rence, then tapering to the tail: the scales, ovate, close, imbricate. 
The lengthy two feet three inches and a half. The tail very taper, terminates in a sharp 
point: it measures five inches three fourths. 
The colour of the head, an olive-yellow, with a short, oblique, bluish-black, streak, behind 
each eye; two long streaks of the same colour, with two or three ovate rings between, adorn 
the neck, while two other streaks cross the throat obliquely. On the rest of the neck, and 
part of the trunk, a faint pink is blended with the olive-yellow; and a narrow thread of 
dark blue, with white spots at the angles, runs zigzag, or waving, along the back. But nei¬ 
ther the pencil, nor verbal description, can convey an adequate idea of the elegant colouring 
of this snake, when provoked, and swelling with rage; the colours incessantly sliding into 
each other, and varying in brilliancy. 
The colours of the remainder of the trunk, with the tail, are more uniform and perma¬ 
nent; the waving thread fades gradually, the olive-yellow of the back becomes darker, and 
a dark-brown fillet is continued along each side to the sharp point of the tail; between which 
and the scuta, is interposed a double row of white scales. The scuta and squamae are of a 
pearl colour. 
