92 COLUBERSIRTALIS. 



posteriorly to the anterior orbital, which is very large and oblong, ascending up 

 between the superior orbital and the frontal plates; there are three posterior 

 orbitals, irregularly quadrilateral, and nearly of the same size; the upper one passes 

 in between the superior orbital and the occipital plates; the inferior border of the 

 orbit is made up of the third and fourth labials, of which plates there are seven 

 on each side, quadrilateral and large; there are two temporal plates, the anterior 

 largest. The nostrils are lateral and large. The eyes are large; the pupil black; 

 the iris yellowish-grey. The neck is contracted. 



The body is long, but tolerably robust, covered with strongly hexagonal 

 carinated scales above and with broad plates below. The tail is long, thick at 

 the root, but soon becomes slender, and terminates in a point. 



Colour. The head above is dusky, with a tinge of olive; each occipital plate 

 being marked with a minute yellow spot; the upper lip is greenish-straw colour, 

 and marked with a dark line at the junction of its plates. The body and tail 

 above is dusky, with a tinge of olive, lighter on the sides, with three longitudinal 

 lines of pale yellow; the vertebral begins at the distance of three or four scales 

 from the occipital plates, and terminates about midway on the tail, and includes 

 one whole scale, and the half of the two adjoining scales on each side; the lateral 

 lines begin behind the temples, and are smaller, including the half of two adjoin- 

 ing scales only; between the vertebral and lateral lines are numerous small 

 quadrate black spots, disposed in longitudinal series, the spots of the different 

 series alternating with each other, and when the scales are separated white 

 specks appear between them; beneath the lateral lines the colour is paler; the 

 abdomen is pale straw colour, with a tinge of green; and each plate is marked 

 with a small black spot near its junction with the scales; these spots form a 

 longitudinal series; sometimes there are two rows of these black spots on each 

 side, the smaller being in the inner one. 



DurEXsioxs. Length of head, 13 lines; length of body, 22 inches; length of 

 tail, 8^ inches; total length, 29 inches 6 lines. This animal at times reaches 



