Page:The poisonous snakes of India. For the use of the officials and others residing in the Indian Empire (IA poisonoussnakeso01ewar).pdf/66

 32 HALYS HIMALAYANUS.

series of three large temporal shields, the two hinder of which form a portion of the lip; the space between these temporals and the occipital is covered with small scales. Body of moderate length, rounded; its middle is covered with twenty-three series of strongly keeled scales. Ventrals 162–166; anal entire; sub-candals 43–51. The tail terminates in a long spine. Dark brown, with large band-like spots across the back; these spots are very indistinct, scarcely differing from the ground colour, and becoming visible only by their black edges; belly almost entirely black, marbled with yellowish. A broad blackish brown band runs from the eye along the series of temporal shields to the angle of the mouth; it has a narrow black and white edge above and below, and is better defined in the young individual than in the old one. Lower labials marbled with yellowish and blackish."

Dr. Stoliczka says-" Especially between 5000 and 8000 feet, but on the Hatu Mountain near Kotegurh, and about Serahan, I observed it as high as 10,000 feet. It feeds principally on mice... The upper ground colour of this snake varies from brownish-green to almost brownish-black, but generally with some lighter spots, bands or inarblings, and that of the lower part is of a greenish-yellow purple tinge, the purplish colour sometimes predominating, especially on the sub-caudals; the whole of the lower side is more or less strongly marbled with greenish black; rarely is the under side nearly all black, but the chin is always yellowish. The upper labials are yellowish white, and in continuation of this colour, there is in younger specimens a very conspicuous whitish lateral band occupying the base of the ventrals, and the adjoining row of scales. In old specimens this lateral band is only indicated on the throat, becoming obsolete on the body. All the specimens whici 1 examined had only twenty-one series of scales. One nearly fill grown, from the neighbourhood of Kotegurh (north-east of Simla) measures twenty-five inches and a quarter, of which the tail is three and a quarter, terminating with a very small single sub-caudal scale. Ventrals 160 ; sub-caudals 42." It is “ very common over the north-west Himalayas." (Fayrer.) It is "met with on the paths generally after rains, and in shady places between overhanging forest trees.” (Stoliczka.)