1854.] 193 



color slate or grayish above, with transverse, brown, lozenge-like bands, their 

 external margins extending to the abdomen with intermediate yellow spots and 

 yellowish markings enclosed within the brown, sometimes two in number; the 

 brown lozenge-like spots become indistinct posteriorly and contain no yellowish 

 spots, giving to this part of the upper portion of the body a sombre appearance, 

 compared with the beautiful variegated robe of the rest; about 17 of these dis- 

 tinct brown lozenge-like spots maybe counted upon the back; tail entirely 

 black ; throat and chin white ; abdomen light straw color without spots, but 

 shaded with grayish. 194 abdom. scut. ; 3 bifid post-abdom. scut.; 19 subcaudal ; 

 7 rattles in the present specimen. 



Dimensions. Breadth of head posteriorly li inches ; length of head la inches ; 

 of body 3 feet 5 inches ; of tail 2 inches ; of rattle 1 inch. 



Habitat. Near Pecos River, N. W. Texas. 



The reptiles above described were found by Dr. Heermann, Naturalist to the 

 expedition for the survey of a railroad route to the Pacific, under command of 

 Lieut. Parke, U. S. Top." Eng. 



Descriptions of new Reptiles from Guinea. 



By Edward Hallowell, M.D. 



Family VIPERID^. 



Genus Echis Merrem. 



Char. Subcaudal plates in a single row; nostrils minute, in suture of two 

 small scales; the anterior frontal shields minute, smooth ; pupil round ; eyes sur- 

 rounded by small scales; supraciliary shields small, scale-like or single, elon- 

 gated and distinct ; scales elongate, keeled at the tip. (Gray.) 



Echis squamigera, nob. 



Sp. char. Rostral plate much more extended in the transverse direction than 

 vertically; eleven distinct plates along the margin of the upper jaw, of which 

 the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th are the largest ; the inferior margin of the eye opposite 

 to the 4th, 5th and 6th ; eye surrounded with scales, of which the two anterior 

 are the largest, and of nearly equal size ; anterior geneials much narrower than 

 the posterior ; neck contracted ; body slender, compressed, thicker in the mid- 

 dle, with 18 rows of lanceolate and strongly carinated scales; the lateral and in- 

 ferior rows do not differ in size from the rest, and are also carinated ; tail short 

 and tapering with strongly carinated quadrangular scales. 



Coloration. Olive green above, darker upon the tail, the scales for the most 

 part tipped with yellow; posterior half of body with numerous transverse yel- 

 low fasciae, about half an inch apart. 



Abdom. scuta 155 ; 1 prae-abdom. single^; 1 post-abdom. bifid ; 58 single plates 

 under the tail. 



Dimensions. Length of head 1 inch; breadth \ inch; length of body 17$ 

 inches ; of tail 4 inches; circumference at middle 1| inches. 



Habitat Near the river Gaboon, Guinea. One specimen, presented by M. P. 

 Bellonni Duchaillu. 



Gen. obs. This is evidently not the Echis pavo, or Echis varia of Reuss, Mus. 

 Senkenberg., band 1, p. 157, 160. It has a certain resemblance to the figure of 

 the Vipera pyramidarum, Descript. de PEgypte, t.7, fig. 1, but the scales upon 

 the head in that figure are represented as all of the same size, and the markings 

 upon the body are not the same. It has no resemblance to the Horatta Pam of 

 Russell, Indian Serpents fig. 11. It is well characterized by the larger scales 

 upon the vertex. But two species of Echis have been heretofore described. 



Fam. HYLAD.E. 



Hyla punctata, nob. 



Gen. char. Head large, depressed ; eyes very large and prominent ; skin 

 smooth, for the most part above, with a few small scattered tubercles, quite 



