THE OEDER OF SNARBS—OFHIDIA. 9 



mond River District, a new form has been discovered which differs from 

 other Australian venomous species in having scales strongly keeled ; this 

 species has been described as Tropldechis carinata. A small ringed snake 

 with a very short head and tail, belonging to the South American genus 

 Brachyiiro2)his, is met with on the Clarence, as also are many other dimi- 

 nutive Ophidians which do not inhabit the southern districts. There the 

 Diamond Snake disappears, and the sombre-coloured Carpet Snake takes 

 its place, but no other Rock Snake is observed until the tropics are fairly 

 entered. 



Northern Queensland is rich in harmless Pythons ; Nardoa gilbertii 

 and AsjykUotes melmiocephalus occur near Port Denison, and at the Gulf 

 of Carpentaria two species of the genus Liasis have been observed. The 

 harmless Presh-water Snakes Cerberus australis and Ilyron richardsonii 

 appear to be restricted in their habitat to the northern rivers. 



A second harmless Tree Snake Dendrophis calligastra has lately 

 been discovered near Cape York, and a variety of the Australian Brown 

 Tree Snake Dipsas fusca extends even to New Ireland. This large island 

 produces a second Tree Snake belonging to the genus Dendrophis, pro- 

 bably a new species, and a Python (Liasis amethystimis) which grows to 

 a considerable size. The islands to the south-east of the Solomon Group 

 are inhabited by harmless Pythons only. Enygriis bibronii is the most 

 common of them, and found on the Solomon, New Hebrides, and Piji 

 Grovip, and the rarer Bolyeria multicarinata, whicli is generally l)ut 

 erroneously recorded by Foreign naturalists as inhabiting the shores of 

 Port Jackson, must also be referred to the islands east of New Guinea. 



We believe that a small venomous snake allied to the Australian 

 genus Dietnenia is peculiar to Viti Levu, the principal island of the Pijis, 

 but no large or dangerous venomous snake is on record from any other 

 locality in the South Pacific. At New Caledonia no snakes have yet been 

 noticed ; they are also absent from New Zealand, where a few lizards and 

 frogs only represent the reptilia fauna. 



Twenty-one innocuous and forty-two venomous Australian snakes 

 have been described, but of the latter not more than five species are dan- 

 gerous to man or the larger animals, and these retire under ground for 

 nearly five months in the year. It is, of course, most desirable to dis- 

 tinguish the dangerous from the harmless species by external characters ; 

 p 



