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Show 1899.] REPTILES OF T H E MALAY PENINSULA A N D SIAM. 663 yellow collar; the neck behind this collar is brilliant verrai and in adult specimens red or crimson. Below immaculate white or yellow, shading to pink where it joins the dark upper parts. Sides of the head and neck bright yellow; below each eye a black triangular patch extending backwards and downwards (in one individual this mark was only present on the right side). Size. The largest Bangkok specimen measured 690 mm. in total length. Hab. Eastern Himalayas, Assam, Burma, South China, Siam, Cambodia, Malay Peninsula, Java, Celebes, Tern ate. 115. TROPIDONOTUS OHRYSARGUS Schleg. Tropidonotus junceus, Cantor, p. 93. Tropidonotus chrysargus, Blgr. Cat. Snakes, i. p. 258. This beautiful snake appears to be a mountain form in the Malay Peninsula. Cantor got one individual on Penang Hill, and Mr. L. Wray, Dr. Hanitsch, and myself have in different years obtained it in the Larut Hills, Perak, from 3000 to 3400 feet above tbe sea. Habits. Cantor says: " Like most of the Asiatic species of this genus, the present is of fierce habits. It twice unprovokedly bit a woodcutter who happened to pass it. The bite, of course, was productive of no consequences except a slight momentary pain." Colour (in life). A specimen 310 mm. in length was above very dark rich olive-brown, with a bright yellow collar-mark forming an acute backward-pointing angle on the neck; the skin between the scales is brick-red, and shows as fine red reticulations on the anterior part of the body. Labials bright yellow, upper outlined in black. Below, head and neck bright yellow, remainder greyish buff, with small black spots, and a very distinct black spot on the side of each ventral and pair of subcaudal scales. A specimen 760 mm. in length differed in having no collar-mark aud the red reticulations showing only on the neck, also other markings which were hardly distinguishable on the smaller specimen here show, viz. numerous narrow black transverse lines, each interrupted by a dorso-lateral series of dull orange-brown spots. The lower parts of tbe sides are iridescent crimson, speckled with black, and the belly is yellowish, only shading to greyish buff posteriorly. The whole lower surface is highly iridescent, with purplish shades. The eye is large and noticeable. Iris, very narrow golden ring round pupil, remainder rich red-brown, with a redder patch above the pupil. Hab. Eastern Himalayas, Assam, Burma, South China, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Nias, Java, Borneo, Palawan, Balabac, Sipora (Mentawei Islands). 116. TROPIDONOTUS MACULATUS Edeling. Hab. Malay Peninsula (one specimen, Malacca; Blgr. Cat. Snakes, i. p. 260), Sumatra, Labuan, Borneo, 43* |