Page:The poisonous snakes of India. For the use of the officials and others residing in the Indian Empire (IA poisonoussnakeso01ewar).pdf/99

 HYDROPHIS STEWARTII (N.S.), ANDERSON.

“The neck moderately long and slender, and the head rather short and not much broader than the neck. The remainder of the body very much compressed. Rostral considerably broader than high. The nasals as broad posteriorly as they are long. The third and fourth labials enter the orbit, the former not being in contact with the nasal. Three ten- porals, the anterior the largest. Two post-oculars. Vertical much pointed behind; occipitals long and narrow. Two almost quadrangular chin-shields in contact with cach other. Thirty-three rows of scales round the neck. The scales hexagonal, not imbricate, with a feeble central tubercle. Ventrals 387, smooth. The first forty on the neck about four times as large as the adjoining scales, those behind them being small and narrow as they are traced backwards, and hardly discernible on the last six inches of the trunk. Two pairs of small scale-like anals. Tail broad, markedly dilating from its root. Lips yellowish. Upper surface of head and upper surface of neck and trunk greenish olive. Under surface of head and sides and under surface of neck and trunk salmon coloured. Fifty-seven very obscure darker olive, almost black bars on the dorsal area of the neck and compressed portion, but not extending on to the light coloured sides. The tail greenishi olive, mottled, and tipped with black.

"Length, 38" 3"", of which the tail constitutes 2" 8". Girth round neck, two inches behind head, 2" 5". Greatest depth of body, five inches before the tail, 1" 8". Grcatest thickness at that point, O" 3". Thickness at ventral margin at the same situation, O" 2". Snout to occiput, 0" 11". Breadth across angle of mouth, 0" 7". Locality-Pooree, Cuttack,"