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Show 684 MR. STANLEY S. FLOWER ON THE [May 1 6, I have come across it in buildings, where it not unfrequently takes up its abode in the roof, finding doubtless a good supply of food there, as the lamps attract insects, the insects supply regular food to numerous geckoes, and the geckoes in turn support the snakes. Its cast-off skins (which are decidedly pretty, as, though no trace of the green colour remains, the black markings both on the head and dorsal shields are very distinct) hanging among the rafters often show that a house is tenanted by this snake. Once we came on a large specimen crawling round an old image of Buddha in a temple at Ayuthia; in the dim light it was a curious sight, not easily forgotten. It is a very active and agile snake. Once I saw a small one, about 2\ feet long, take a flying leap, from an upstairs window, downward and outward on to a branch of a tree and then crawl away among the foliage. The distance it had jumped was measured and found to be nearly 8 feet. I have known it eat Hemidactylus frenatus and Gecko verticillatus; the latter may give battle to the snake for some hours before being finally swallowed. Cantor says its prey consists of lizards (Geckonidce) and frogs, and mentions an instance of its eating Ptychozoon homalocephalum. Chrysopelea ornata itself, however, sometimes falls a victim to other snakes ; I have known individuals to have been swallowed by a Zamenis mucosus and by a Dipsadomorphus dendrophilus. Cantor's experience of this species was quite different from mine, as he writes of its habits : -" It is but seldom seen in trees ; it is more frequently found on the ground in the grass. It differs from the other species ... in its gentleness. The young ones never attempt to bite, the adult but seldom." Giinther (Rept. Brit. Ind. p. 299) quotes Cantor's account, adding to the " seldom seen in trees" the very true remark, "probably because it makes too rapid a retreat to be seen." Giinther also mentions having " found geckoes in its stomach." Boulenger (Fauna Brit. Ind., Reptiles, p. 372) writes : " It feeds almost exclusively on geckoes, and is of gentle disposition." Colour (in life). The general colour of " this most beautiful of all snakes" (Giinther) is bright grass-green, with conspicuous black transverse marks on the top of the head. Var. A : Bright grass-green, extensively marked with black, so that the back appears black with small green spots. Down the centre of the back is a series of tetraplous bright red spots (in a specimen from Penang Hill these were yellow). Each ventral and subcaudal shield is outlined in black. Head bright sulphur-yellow, boldly marked with black above. " Iris and tongue black " (Cantor). Var. D : The whole body and tail, above and below, bright grass-green. Each scale on the back is bordered with black and has a black median stripe on it. There is a black spot on each side of each ventral scale (these may be absent anteriorly, then appear as small dots, and get larger posteriorly); the subcaudals are marked |