COLUBER 181 



may be very large or unite with the spots higher up 

 on the sides to form vertical bars. 



Size. — Examples 5 feet long are on record ; the 

 largest examined by me measures 4 feet 3 inches. 



Distribution. — Spain and Portugal, Sardinia, Pan- 

 tellaria, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia. Does not reach 

 the North of Spain nor penetrate into the Sahara. 



Habits. — This very handsome snake is as a rule 

 as irascible as its European congeners. In Spain as 

 well as in Algeria it is often found about the dwellings 

 of man, occasionally entering houses in search of 

 mice, on which it principally feeds ; it is also fond 

 of birds, and, climbing with great facility, plunders 

 the nests of sparrows in towns and villages. It 

 must be regarded as a useful commensal of man, and 

 deserving of protection. 



Reproduction. — F. Doumergue found in a hole in a 

 rock near Oran, in September, the recently-laid eggs, 

 five in number and as large as pigeons'. 



Genus COLUBER, Linn^us 



Maxillary teeth equal or nearly equal in length. 

 Head elongate, distinct from neck ; eye moderately 

 large, with round pupil. Body more or less elongate ; 

 scales smooth or feebly keeled, with apical pits. 

 Tail moderate or long. 



This large genus, embracing close upon fifty 

 species, is represented in Europe, Asia, and North 

 and tropical America. Five species in Europe. Very 



