COLUBER. 
from' the nofe to the anus, fourteen inches. The tail ta¬ 
per; a leaden or bluish calf, with many final!,.fagittate, 
(pots, compoled of greyifii, dufky-yellow, and blackilh, 
teaks. The feuta yellovvllh-white. This fnake was re- 
prelented as venomous ; but its want of poifoning organs, 
Ihows the affertion to be a vulgar error; abdominal 
Icuta 138. 
188. Patza Uitta.- —The head final!, broader than the 
neck, ovate, deprefled, covered with various laminae, of 
which the principal are or.e pair between the noftrils ; a 
fecund foiriewliat larger, but fimilar in form ; three be¬ 
tween the eyes, the lateral purfe-lhape, the middle one 
bell-form; the pofterior laminae femi-cordate, truncate. 
The mouth wide; the jaws unequal, the lower beingcon- 
fiderably Ihofter. The teeth lmall, lharp, reflex ; two 
palatal rows, and ope marginal, in the upper jaw. The 
eyes diftant, lateral, large, orbicular. The nollrils like- 
wile lateral, large, gaping. The trunk round, clofely fet 
•with very lmall, fmooth, ovate feales, thofe excepted near 
the l’cuta, which are orbicular. The length of the fnake, 
one foot eleven inches. The tail very taper and lharp 
pointed. The colour of the head, trunk, and tail, brown ; 
but the neck and upper part of the trunk, are decorated 
■with about a fcore of narrow, crofs, bands, compoled of 
Ibort, black, and white, lines ; behind thefe, a few other 
more obfeure bands are difcernible, of reddilh brown, in- 
terlperfed with white ; but the white in thefe is only the 
interllitial (kin, whereas in the former, the feales were 
white. The latter bands become lels and left vilible in 
approaching the tail. The' orbicular leaks nearelt the 
feuta, are yellow; and the feuta have a pale-yellowilh 
calt. The bite of this lnake on the bread: of a chicken, 
produced no difcolouration of the Ikin, nor did the bird 
(how any fymptoms of indifpofition. To another fnake 
of the fame fpecies, which appeared very adiive and lively, 
a pigeon and a chicken being prefented lucceflively, he 
ccuid not be provoked to ’bite either, but coiied himi'elf 
very quietly between them. Abdominal feuta 202, lub- 
caudal fquamte 91; total 293. 
189. Mutta pam, or ally pam. —The head final], a little 
broader than the neck, ovpte, obtufe, deprefled, covered 
with ten laminae. The firft two perforated by the noftrils; 
next a folkary, oval, lamina ; the fecond pair orbicular ; 
the two lateral, between the eyes, conical ; the central 
lhield-form, with a point; the lall: pair femi-cordate. The 
mouth middle fize ; the jaws nearly equal. The teeth 
fmall, reflex ; a marginal and two palatal rows above. 
The eyes large, oval. The noftrils fmall, not diftant. 
The trunk round; the feales ovate, eiliate, imbricate; 
but on the belly orbicular. Tile length one foot eight 
inches; the circumference of the neck, near the head, 
hardly exceeds one inch and a quarter ; of the thickeft 
part of the trunk, feldom more than two inches and a 
quarter. The tail very fhort and fmall, tapers to a (harp 
point, fomewhatcarinated on the back, and comprefled 
on the Tides. The colour a very dark changeable biue, 
without (pots. The three orders of fquamae neareft the 
belly, together with the feuta, are of a whitifli yellow ; 
the feuta and (quarnte are divided in the middle by a dark 
bluifh line. This fnake was caught in the lake of Anka- 
pilly, in one of the traps employed for catching eels. It 
is regarded by the natives as hannlefs. Abdominal feuta 
159, fub-caudal fquamse 52; total 2:1. 
190. tioobra. —The head broader than the neck, de- 
prelfed, covered with nine laminae; the pair between the 
noftrils oblong, truncate ; the next pair larger, roundilh; 
the central lamina, betwetn the eyes, very narrow, fhieid- 
form, acuminate, the lateral fub-conical; the polterior 
pair fub-conical, obverted, truncate, with four ('mailer 
oblong laminae on each fide. The hind head covered with 
fmall orbicular fcaies. The mouth large ; the upper jaw 
a little longer than the under. The teeth fmall, reflex ; 
two palatal rows and one marginal in the upper jaw. 
The eyes large and oval. The nottrils large, open. The 
trunk covered with fmall linear-oval feales ; but the mid¬ 
dle-of the back is fomewliat deprefled, and the fcaies co- 
Vol. IV. No, 240. 
vering it are obovate; on the (Ides of the feuta there are 
two rows of oval fcaies. The length three feet two inches; 
the tail very (lender, particularly towards its (harp point. 
The colour of the head and H unk a very datk brown, 
.but the fcaies on the middle of the back of a fomewhat 
lighter brown; towards the feuta the abdominal oval 
fcaies are whitifli, fpotted with black, nearly to the middle 
of the trunk ; on the remain -er of the trunk thefe fcaies 
are of the (ame cineritious colour with the feuta. It is 
faid to grow to a much larger fize, and chiefly to frequent 
trees. It had been killed on a tree in the ambaflador's 
garden at Hyderabad. Abdominal icuta 181, (ub-cau¬ 
dal fquamse 130; total 311. 
191. Mega rekula foda .—The head fmall, broader than 
the neck, ovate, deprefled, and covered witli twelve prin¬ 
cipal laminae, befides feven of fmaller fize. _ The fcaies 
under the-eye are white. The mouth moderate fize; tiie 
jaws of nearly equal length. The teeth (mall, numerous, 
reflex ; two palatal row's and one marginal in the upper 
jaw. The eyes high, not large, orbicular, prominent; 
the noftrils near each other, veiy fmall. The trunk round, 
lweiling gradually from the neck to two inches and a half 
circumference, then tapering to the tail; the fcaies ovate, 
clofe, imbricate. The length two feet three inches and 
a half. The tail very taper, terminates in a (harp point. 
The colour of the head an olive yellow, with a (hort, ob¬ 
lique, biuifh-black (freak behind each eye; two long 
ltreaks of the fame colour, with two or three ovate rings 
between, adorn the neck, while two other (freaks crofs 
the throat obliquely. On the reft of the neck, and part 
of the trunk, a faint pink is blended with the olive-yel¬ 
low ; and a narrow thread of daik blue, with white fpots 
at the angles, runs waving along the back. Eut neither 
the pencil, nor verbal defenption, can convey an adequate 
idea of the elegant colouring of this fnake, when pro¬ 
voked and fwelling with rage ; the colours incefiantiy 
Aiding into each other, and varying in brilliancy. The 
feuta and fquamse are of a pearl-colour. This fnake 
was found at Vizagapatam. It appeared Angularly alert 
in its movements, and ('napped at every thing prefented 
to it. In preparing to attack, it wreathed its neck, and 
part of the trunk, into clofe folds; and at the fame time 
retracing its head, prefented at a diftance (bmething of 
the appearance of a hooded lnake. When it fnapped, the 
body being more railed by afliltance of the tail, the wreaths 
were rapidly unwreathed, and the head darted-obliquely 
forward, with a motion fo rapid, that the animal, without 
rifing from the ground, (eemed to fly on his prey. In this 
manner it could unexpectedly leize an objedt which in 
appearance lay far beyond its reach. A chicken intended 
for experiment having made its elcape, was accidentally 
purfued into the chamber where the fnake had been left 
at liberty, and was no fooner perceived than the fnake 
flew furioufly at him, fnapped feveral times as he pafled, 
and foon feized and iecured him, by wreathing round the 
body. In two minutes the bird was found dead, having 
been ftrangled by the fnake’s tail. A fecond chicken was 
attacked in like manner, and, had he not been relieved in 
time, would have fuffered the fame fate. He was bit «n 
in feveral places, but without any confequence. It was 
remarkable that, ferocious as this fnake appeared to be, 
he could not, when held in the hand, be provoked to bite 
a chicken repeatedly prefented to him. Abdominal Icuta 
222, fub-caudal (quamse 95; total 313. 
192. Neeli koea .—The head broader than the neck, 
broad-ovate, deprefled; compcelfed on the tides towards 
the roltrum; covered with various laminae ; the firft pair 
triagonal, fmall, between the noftrils ; the next pair qua¬ 
drangular, fomewhat larger; the fnield-form lamina, be¬ 
tween the eyes, is pointed, the lateral Tub-oval; the femi- 
cordate pair are very large ; and on each fide is an ob¬ 
long narrow lamina. The mouth wide; the teeth nume¬ 
rous, fmall, (harp, reflex; a marginal and two palatal 
rows in the upper jaw. The eyes lateral, very forward, 
large, orbicular. The noftrils clofe to the point of the 
roltrum, fmall, open. The trunk round, ciumfily (haped; 
9 X the 
