326 OPHIDIA. 



natives in pursuit of its food, which consists of insects. It belongs properly to the fauna of 

 the archipelago, inhabiting Java, Borneo, and the Philippine Islands ; Cantor found it at 

 Pinang ; it does not appear to be common anywhere. It readily bites ; and attains to a 

 length of 3 feet, the tail being one-third. 



PAREAS, Wagl 



Body strongly compressed, of moderate length or rather slender ; tail of 

 moderate length, prehensile. Cleft of the mouth very short. Shields of the 

 tipj)er side of the head regular. Loreal present, or united with pra?ocular. 

 Scales smooth or faintly keeled, in fifteen series, those of the vertebral series 

 largest. Ventrals rounded, less than 200 in number; anal simple; sub- 

 caudals bifid. Maxillary teeth small, few in number; palatine and mandi- 

 bulary teeth in a continuous series, gradually increasing in length towards 

 the front. 



The first of the following species resembles in some respects Amblycephalus, whilst the 

 second is intermediate between the first and third : — 



Scales slightly keeled P. carmata, p. 326. 



Scales smooth, those of the vertebral series hexagonal ; ventrals 194 .... P. monticola, p. 327. 

 Scales smooth, those of the vertebral series but little larger than the others ; 



ventrals ca. 160 P- l<Evis, p. 328. 



PaEEAS CAEINATA. 



Dipsas carinata, {Reinw.) Schleg. Phys. Serp. ii. p. 285. pi. 11. figs. 26-28, and Abbild. taf. 45. 



figs. 10-12. 

 Pareas carinata, Wagl. Syst. Ainph. p. 181. 



Head of moderate length, thick, elevated, with obtuse snout and tumid upper lips ; eye of 

 moderate size, with elliptical pupil ; body and tail of moderate length, strongly compressed, 

 prehensile. Eostral shield narrow, high, not reaching to the upper surface of the snout ; 

 frontals small, the anterior more than half as large as posterior; vertical six-sided, much 

 longer than broad, with an obtuse angle in front. Supraciliaries long, of moderate width ; 

 occipitals not larger than vertical. Nasal simple, pierced by the small nostril ; loreal higher 

 than long ; a ring of narrow orbitals surrounds the orbit, excluding the labials and the po.s- 

 terior frontal. Eight or seven upper labials, the posterior low. Temporals rather irregu- 

 larly arranged, scale-like, generally 3 + 3-|-3, the three anterior in contact with the oculars; 

 three pairs of broad chin-shields. Teeth slender, of moderate strength ; those of the max- 



