67 



COLUBER SAYI.—Dekay. 

 Plate XI. 



Characters. Head small, oval, rather pointed at the snout; body elongated, 

 robust; above purple, tinged with violet; each plate and scale marked with a 

 milk-white spot. PI. 205 — Sc. 53. 



Stnontmes. Coluber Sayi, Dekay, manuscript. 



Description. The head is small, oval, short, with the snout rather pointed; the 

 vertical plate is triangular, with the basis broad and directed forwards, and the 

 apex pointed and turned backwards; the superior orbitals are oblong, pentagonal, 

 broader behind, of the same length as the vertical, and slightly project over the 

 eyes; the frontal plates are large, pentagonal and broadest internally; the ante- 

 rior frontals are also large, but smaller than the posterior, quadrilateral, with 

 their posterior and inferior angles prolonged; the rostral plate is hexagonal, 

 rounded above, concave and slightly projecting below; the nasal plates are two 

 on each side, nearly quadrilateral; the anterior hollowed behind and the posterior 

 concave before to complete the nostrils. There is a single anterior orbital 

 plate, quadrilateral and elongated, most extensive vertically, and two very 

 small posterior quadrilateral orbitals; the occipital plates are large, broad, 

 elongated and pentagonal. The upper jaw is covered with seven large quadri- 

 lateral labial plates on each side, of which the fifth and sixth are largest, and the 

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

 are lateral and near the snout. The eyes are prominent, the pupil dark, the iris 

 grey. The neck is but slightly contracted. 



The body is cylindrical, and covered with smooth hexagonal scales above, as 



