320 [Nov. 1847. 



enclosed in a sheath; thirteen plates margin the upper jaw on the right, and 

 fourteen on the left side of the head, exclusive of the rostral ; the tenth on 

 the right, and the eleventh on the left side are the largest ; the shape of both 

 is pentangular ; the rostral plate is also pentangular,and incurvated inferiorly ; 

 there are sixteen plates along the margin of the lower jaw, exclusive of the 

 mental, which is broad and triangular ; the anterior geneials are oblong 

 quadrilateral, the posterior, large and rhomboidal. Neck contracted, quite 

 slender compared with the body, which is somewhat cylindrical and very 

 thick in the middle, becoming slender towards the tail ; tail quite short ; 

 upper part aDd sides of neck, body and tail covered with very strongly 

 carinated scales ; many of these scales are truncated posteriorly. 



Color. Upper part of head light brown ash color ; a dark colored 

 triangular blotch exists upon the side of the head, its apex touching the 

 posterior margin of the orbit ; another dark colored blotch, an inch in 

 length, extends along the margin of the lower jaw ; chin and throat light 

 straw color, with numerous small black spots. A series of oblong quad- 

 rangular bands extends along the dorsum, commencing at the neck, and iB 

 lost upon the tail ; in the young subject they are bordered with white ; at 

 each extremity is a dark triangular blotch, the apices of which touch each 

 other : a row of dark colored triangular blotches is also observed along the 

 margins of the quadrangular bars, contiguous with which are other triangu- 

 lar spots, having their bases toward each other; these are not represented 

 in the figure ; there is also a row of triangular spots upon each side of the 

 body, in contact with the abdomen : abdomen and under surface of tail 

 etraw color, presenting numerous spots of black. 



Dimensions. Length of head 2 inches, 3 lines (Fr.) ; breadth posteriorly, 

 2 inches ; length of tail, 5 inches 3 lines ; length of body, 2 feet 8 J inches 

 (Fr.) ; greatest circumference of body, 8 inches 3 lines. 



Abdominal scuta 128 ; Subcaudal 27, two of which are single, (the second 

 and third from the anus,) the rest bifid. 



Habitat. Liberia, Western Africa. Specimen in the Museum of the 

 Academy. 



General Observations. The animal from which the above description 

 is taken, was presented to the Academy of Natural Sciences by Dr. 

 Thomas S. Savage, Colonial Physician, and one of our Correspondents. 

 The drawing was taken from a young animal, eighteen inches in length ; 

 the coloration, however, does not vary materially from that of the 

 older specimen, except that the general tints are lighter, and in the points 

 indicated. It has no resemblance to the Vipera cornuta, Auct., a beauti- 

 ful figure of which is given in Dr. Andrew Smith's Illustrations of the Zoo- 

 logy of Southern Africa, plate 32.* 



There can be no doubt, we think, that this is the animal figured by Shaw, 



* See Schlegel, Physiognomies des Serpens, torn. ii. p. 583, note. 



