292 OPHIDIA. 



PSAMMODYNASTES, Gthr 



Body and tall rather stout ; head with the snout short, and with the front 

 part of the lips swollen ; loreal region concave, superciliaries prominent. 

 Shields of the head regular : anterior frontals very small ; vertical narrow, 

 elongate ; one nasal, pierced by the nostril. Scales short, rhombic, smooth, 

 without apical groove, in seventeen rows ; anal entire. Pupil elliptic, erect. 

 Anterior teeth in both jaws long, posterior maxillary tooth grooved. 



Only two species* are known, one of which occurs in British India. 



PSAMMODTKASTES PULVEEULENTUS. 



Psammophis pulverulenta, Boie, his, 1827, p. 547. Schleg. Phys. Serp. ii. p. 211. pi. 8. figs. 10 



& 11 ; and Abbild. tab. 4.3. figs. 1-4. 

 Dipsas femiginea, Cantor, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1839, p. 53. Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xxiii. 



p. 293; xxiv. p. 715. 

 Psammodyiiastes pulverulentus, Gunth. Colubr. Snakes, p. 140. 



Head short, thick, with the canthus rostralis and the superciliaries prominent, and with 

 the front part of the upper lips swollen ; body rather stout, tail rather short. Rostral shield 

 small, rather broader than long ; anterior frontals very small, triangular ; posterior frontals 

 small, rounded behind ; superciliaries much larger than vertical ; occipitals rounded behind. 

 Loreal as high as long ; two praeoculars : the upper is large, extending on to the upper surface 

 of the head, but not reaching the vertical ; the lower is very small, and sometimes quite rudi- 

 mentaiy ; two postoculars. Eight upper labials, the thu-d, fourth, and fifth of which enter the 

 orbit. Temporals rather irregular, generally 2 -(- 3 -}- 3. Three pairs of chin-shields, the middle 

 of which are the smallest. Ventrals 146-167; subcaudals 50-59. Each maxillary is armed 

 with fifom eight to nine teeth, the first or second of which is long and strong, the last grooved. 

 The gi'ound-coloiu' is always very dark, dotted and speckled with black ; the lower parts are 

 lighter, the dots forming spots, which are arranged in two or three or more longitudinal 

 series ; the upper surface of the head generally mth symmetrical dark longitudinal streaks. 

 Sometimes the whole snake is black ; sometimes a broad dark band runs along the side of 

 the body, — the back, above the band, being of a lighter coloration. Other specimens show a 

 vertebral series of large rhombic pale spots, the spots being either entire, or broken up into 

 two ; these specimens have also a white streak on each side of the head. 



This snake has a very repulsive aspect: its dark, undefined colours, short and thick head, 

 and swollen lips, caused by large hidden fangs, give it the appearance of a venomous snake ; it 



* Ps. pictus, Giinth. Colubr. Snakes, p. 251. Borneo. 



