64 COLUBERGETULUS. 



quadrilateral nasal plates, nearly of the same size, the one slightly hollowed before, 

 the other behind, to accommodate the nostril; the anterior orbital is single, large, 

 and of pentagonal form, -with a small square loral plate between it and the posterior 

 nasal; there are two posterior orbitals, very small and quadrilateral; behind which 

 are two oblong square temporal plates; the labial plates are seven in number, on 

 each side, all quadrilateral to the fifth, which is pentagonal, and of these the third 

 and fourth make up the inferior wall of the orbit of the eye. The nostrils are 

 near the snout, very large, and open laterally. The eyes are rather small, with 

 the pupil black, and the iris dusky. The neck is not contracted, and is covered 

 above with small smooth scales. 



The body is elongated, robust, and covered with large smooth hexagonal scales 

 above and large plates below. The tail is short, thick at the root, but soon 

 becomes small, and ends in a horny point. 



Colour. The Coluber getulus is one of the most beautiful of our Snakes, and 

 its colours of most singular pattern. The ground of the whole superior surface 

 of the animal, the head as well as the body and tail, is of most rich, shining 

 raven-black; the rostral plate is white in the centre, and every other plate about 

 the head is marked with one or more white or milky-white spots; that of the ver- 

 tical plate often resembles a transverse white line along its anterior part, while 

 the labials have each similarly disposed spots, but of triangular form and variable 

 magnitude, sometimes equal to half the size of the plate; the chin and throat are 

 white, and have most of the plates margined with black. The body is marked by 

 about twenty-two nearly equidistant tranvserse white bars or rings. These rings 

 are narrow, embracing two or parts of three scales; nor do they surround the 

 body, but bifurcate at the flanks, so that one portion runs to join the ring 

 placed in front, and the other to join the ring behind, and thus produce nearly a 

 continuous waving white line on the flanks, besjinnino; at the neck and terminating 

 at the vent, and nearly at right angles with the transverse bars; alternating with 

 the dorsal bars, the wavina: line is increased in size below to form an irrcirular 

 white blotch, reaching to the abdomen, which in other respects is coloured nearly 



