63 



TRIGONOCEPHALUS .—Oppel. 



Genus Trigonocephalus. — Characters. Head large, triangular, covered with 

 plates in front, and on the vertex to behind the orbits, and with scales posteriorly; 

 a deep pit between the eyes and nostrils; upper jaw armed with poisonous fangs; 

 body thick; plates on the abdomen and base of the tail; a few scales at the apex. 



TRIGONOCEPHALUS PISCIVORUS.*— Lacbplde. 



Plate XIII. 



Characters. Head very large, triangular, covered with plates in front, and 

 on the vertex, and with scales behind; a deep pit between the eye and nostril; 

 upper jaw armed with poisonous fangs; body thick, dusky greenish-brown, tinged 

 with yellow, and with transverse bands of black. PI. 130, caud. pi. 29, sc. 4, 

 pi. 2, sc. 8. 



Synonymes. Water viper, Cates., Carol., vol. ii. p. 43, pi. xliii. 



Le piscivore, (crotalus piscivorus,) Lactpide, Hist. Nat. des Rept., torn. ii. p. 424. 



Scy talus piscivorus, Lutr., Hist. Nat. des Rept., torn. iii. p. 163. 



Scytale piscivorus, Dand., Hist. Nat. des Rept., torn. v. p. 344. 



Coluber aquaticus, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. iii. p. 425, pi. iii. 



Natrix piscivorus, Merrevi, Versuch. eines Syst. der Rept. 



Trigonocephalus tisiphone, Cuv., Reg. Ann., vol. ii. p. 89. 



Water moccasin, Vulgo. 



* The specific term "Piscivorus," has been chosen for this animal, as that of "aquatilis," 

 or "aquaticus," is applied to another. 



