HOMALOPSIS BUCCATA. 285 



HOMALOPSIS. 



Homalopsis, sp., Kuhl. 



Head rather depressed, flat, triangular, distinct from neck ; body stout, 

 cylindrical ; tail of moderate length, tapering. Cleft of the mouth wide, 

 turned upwards behind. Eye small, with vertical pupil. The whole upper 

 surface of the head shielded. Nostril situated on the upper surface of the 

 head, in a single nasal shield, the outer part of which, however, is divided 

 into two by a groove commencing from the nostril and running outwards. 

 The two nasals form a broad suture together behind the rostral ; anterior 

 frontal single, small (exceptionally divided) ; eye surrounded by a ring of 

 small orbitals, the superciliary being well developed. Posterior upper labials 

 transversely divided into two or three. Scales striated and keeled, in from 

 thirty-seven to forty-seven series ; ventrals rather narrow ; anal bifid ; sub- 

 caudals two-rowed. Maxillary teeth subequal in size, the last being grooved ; 

 mandibulary teeth longest in front, decreasing in strength and more closely 

 set behind. Viviparous. 



Only one species is found in British India. 



HOMALOPSIS BUCCATA. 



Coluber buccatus, L. Syst. Nat. i. p. 377. 

 Russell, ii. p. 39. pi. 33 (young). 



Homalopsis buccata, (Kuhl) Schleg. Phys. Serp. ii. p. 337. pi. 13. figs. 1-3. Gray, Viper. Snakes, 

 p. 67. Dum. ^ Bibr. vii. p. 968. Cantor, Mai. Rept. p. 96. 



hardwickii, Gray, Viper. Snakes, p. 67. 



semizonata, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 1856, xxiv. p. 187. 



Pythonia (!) semizonata, Blyth, I. c. xxviii. p. 297. 



Scales in thirty-seven, thirty-nine, forty-one, forty-five, or forty-seven series, keeled. Ven- 

 trals 160-171 ; subcaudals 70-84. The single anterior frontal is broader than long, smaller 

 than one of the posterior, its hinder margins being longer than the anterior ; vertical gene- 

 rally transversely split. Occipitals subtriangular, as broad as long. Loreal much longer 

 than high, sometimes divided into two. One or two prseoculars, two postoculars ; infraocular 

 very narrow, irregular in shape. Upper labials high, the fifth or the sixth being below the 

 infraorbital ; there is a longitudinal groove between the upper labials and the shields above 

 them ; all the hinder upper labials are divided into two or three by transverse sutures. 

 Temporals 1+2, scale-like. Three pairs of chin-shields, the anterior of which are the 



