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Show 670 MR. STANLEY S. FLOWER ON THE [May 16, R. macrodactyla is a marsh-haunting species. Dendrophis pictus is very gentle when handled. Colour (in life). Above olive bronze-brown ; a black line on either side of the head from the nostril passing through the eye and continued along the anterior quarter of the body, where it is broken at frequent and regular intervals by diagonal bands of rich blue-greeu. Along each side of the body is a pale whitish bronze line, bordered above and below by rich dark brown. These lateral lines disappear on the tail, which is plain olive-brown above and on the sides. The upper labials and sides of the neck below the black line are pale lemon-yellow. The ower surfaces of head, body, and tail are immaculate white; tbe lateral ventral keels are finely outlined in dark brown; and the sides of the ventral shields above the keels are white, with very pretty pink and bronze shades. Iris bronze. Tongue red, with black tip. Hab. Eastern Himalayas, Bengal, hills of Southern India, Burma, Siam, Cambodia, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Nias, Linga, Java, Lombok, Flores, Ombaai, Great Natuna Island, Borneo, Sulu Islands, Celebes, Ceram, Misol, Ternate, Philippines. 140. DENDROPHIS FORMOSUS Boie. Dendrophis formosus, Blgr. Cat. Snakes, ii. p. 84. Localities. This handsome snake is found on Penang Hill (one specimen in Mr. van Sommeren's collection, and one obtained by, myself at 2200 feet), at Kuala Lumpor, Selangor (R. Hanitsch Rep. Raffles Libr. & Mus. 1897, p. 10), in Malacca (Brit Mus. Cat.), and in Singapore (R. Hanitsch, op. cit. p. 10, and S. Elower, P. Z. S. 1896, p. 883). Colour (in life). A specimen 1422 m m . (4 feet 8 inches) long, caught on Penang Hill, 2nd April 1898, differed somewhat from the Singapore specimen described in P. Z. S. 1896, p. 883. Its colours were as follows :- Top of head and enlarged row of vertebral shields rich red-brown; posterior border of each of these shields black. Tipper parts of sides of body yellowish brown with red and green shades, each scale edged posteriorly with black ; the skin between the scales is bright ultramarine-blue and shows distinctly on the sides of the neck. The back becomes less brown posteriorly and more yellow, finally turning to green on the tail. A broad black liue from the muzzle passing through the eye to the nape, where it converges with but does not meet its fellow ; the two run back parallel along the neck and soon disappear. Labials and under surface of head and neck bright greenish yellow. The lowest row of scales on each side of the body and the ventrals are bright grass-green. The lateral ventral keels and subcaudal shields are not outlined in black. Iris sea-green, with broad, black, horizontal line through it. Tongue red, black tip. Hab. Malay Peninsula, Sumatra (" Sungei Mandan, Sumatra," R. Hanitsch, Rep. Raffles Libr. & Mus. 1897, p. 10), Java, Borneo. |