OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 33 



about 1*75 inches ; length of longest spines in tail, 1'6 inches; 

 length of longest spines from side, 1*5 inches ; greatest diameter 

 of spine, O'l inch ; from tip of snout to the eye, 2*5 inches ; from 

 tip of snout to base of skull, about 4 inches ; from vent to the 

 tip of the tail, 1*6 inches. 



The Ophidians of the Che vert Expedition — by William Macleay, 



F.L.S. 



Most of the Snakes collected during the voyage of the Chevert 

 were procured at the Katow River, on the South Coast of New 

 Guinea. 



The character of the country at that place, and for many miles 

 East and West of it, and probably for a long distance inland, is 

 exactly of the kind best suited for the abode of Reptiles. It may 

 be described as a huge Delta, everywhere intersected by water 

 channels, nowhere elevated more than a few feet above the sur- 

 face of the swamp, with a dense and magnificent vegetation, a 

 moist climate, and perpetual heat. 



My visit to the place was a very hasty one. The Chevert 

 anchored off Katow on the 2nd of July, 1875, and left again on 

 the 11th of the same month ; only a very few days, therefore, 

 were available for collecting purposes, and of these but little use 

 could be made, as the impenetrable and swampy nature of the 

 country effectually baffled all attempts to get any distance from 

 the sea shore. It is almost entirely to the natives that I am 

 indebted for the Reptiles of that part. Maino, the head man of 

 the village ; his son Cooki, a fine lively boy of about twelve ; and 

 Howtah, the chief of a neighbouring village, with a number of 

 others, showed a most friendly desire to get for me whatever I 

 wanted. Not a day passed that I did not receive from them 

 joints of bamboo tightly plugged up which were invariably found 

 to be full of Snakes. 



All the species from Katow turn out to be new. That, perhaps, 

 is not to be wondered at, as I was the first who had ever 

 attempted to collect on that part of the New Guinea coast ; but 



