Lb'nnberg, Variation and distribution of the smooth snake in Sweden. 673 



(von Lin lie) and that Coronclla austriaca as yet has not been proved 

 to be a Danish species of snake, it is of a certain interest to again 

 have certified that the Swedish species of smooth snake really 

 is Coronella austriaca Laur. But this is not the only reason 

 why I have written these following short notes. In ,,the Zoologist" of 

 January 1894 the eminent herpetologist Boulenger published an 

 interesting paper J ) ,,on the variations of the smooth snake" and this 

 roused me to make a comparison of the material of this species kept 

 in the Zoological Museum of the R. University of Upsala. Having 

 made this comparison I have the opportunity to add a little to the 

 knowledge of this highly varying form and to show that its variability 

 here in Sweden, at the northern limit of its geographical range, is as 

 great as anywhere else, where it is found. 



The largest specimen in our collection in Upsala measures about 

 75 cm, and the smooth snake in Sweden rarely exceeds that length. 

 This specimen however seems to have lost about one cm and a half 

 of the tip of its tail. 



The number of ventral and caudal shields is varying and the lar- 

 gest specimens have not always the greatest number of shields, as may 

 be seen from the following table. 



Spec. Nr. 1 from Upland length 68 cm, ventr.sh. 169, caud.sh. 56 



2 ,,38 166, 64 



1 -1 79 ^7 



n " n n n n x ' ' ' n 



4 Ostergotland 55 180, 36 



(not complete) 



5 61 172, 51 



6 Gotland 47 169, 54 



,,7 locality not known 53 172, 55 



8 from Vestergotland 75 170, not complete, 



Thus the average number of ventral shields in these eight Swedish 

 specimens is 171,2 and the average number of pairs of subcaudal 

 shields is 56,4 2 ). If we compare this result with Bouleuger's in 

 his above mentioned paper, we shall find that the average number of 

 ventral shields is smaller in his seven english specimens than in ours 

 as it is 105,7. The average number of pairs of subcaudal shields is 

 however about the same in B o u 1 e n ger 's euglish specimens namely 55,5. 

 The anal shield is always divided and sometimes as in specimen 4 

 even the shield preceding the anal shield is divided. But there are 

 also other anomalies to be found with regard to the shields. For 

 instance in specimen 2 the 3 foremost ventral shields are divided. The 



1) 1. c. p. 10-15. 



2) I have not counted the number of subcaudals in the mutilated specimen, 

 but instead the candals of another specimen without head in which they are ftS. 



XV. 4.0 



