284 OPHIDIA. 



FERANIA, Gray. 



Head short, thick ; body stout, compressed ; tail of moderate length ; 

 cleft of the mouth of moderate width ; eye small, with vertical pupil. The 

 whole upper surface of the head is shielded. Nostril on the upper surface 

 of the head, in a large nasal shield, the outer part of which is divided into 

 two by a groove running outwards from the nostril. The nasals of both 

 sides form a broad suture together, behind the rostral ; two very small 

 anterior frontals. Scales smooth, without apical groove, in twenty-seven 

 series. Ventrals rather narrow ; anal bifid ; subcaudals two-rowed. Maxil- 

 lary with a grooved tooth behind. 



Only one species is known. 



Ferania sieboldii. 



Homalopsis sieboldii, Schleg. Phys. Serp. p. 349. pi. 13. figs. 4 & 5. Cant. Mai. Rept. p. 98. 

 Ferania sieboldii, Gray, Zool. Misc. p. Q>7. 

 Trigonurus sieboldii, Dum. ^ Bibr. vii. p. 960. 



Body stout and compressed ; head thick, broad, short, rather distinct from neck ; tail 

 rather short. Anterior frontals small, triangular, half as large as posterior ; vertical longer 

 than broad, five-sided, with parallel lateral margins and with a right angle behind ; occipitals 

 but little longer than vertical, rounded behind. Loreal rather larger than an anterior frontal ; 

 one prse-, two post-oculars. Eight rather high upper labials, the fourth entering the orbit ; 

 temporals scale-like, 1 + 2-1-3. Anterior chin-shields convergent behind, in contact with four 

 lower labials ; the posterior chin-shields are small, scale-like, intercalated between the anterior 

 and the lower labials. Scales elongate-ovate, in twenty-seven series. There are about six 

 transverse series of scales between the chin-shields and the first ventral. Ventrals 147-156 ; 

 subcaudals 48-55. Each maxillary is armed %vith seven equal teeth and with a longer pos- 

 terior grooved tooth. White, with about thirty-two very large, rounded, brown, black-edged 

 spots, the interspaces between them being narrow. A series of rather irregular, triangular 

 black spots along the lower part of the side, these spots alternating with the rounded ones ; 

 belly checkered with black. The white ground-colour appears on the upper part of the head 

 in the shape of two lines, diverging from the muzzle over the eyes to the sides of the head. 

 From each side of the vertical shield a line diverging towards the head. Old examples have 

 the head uniform brown. 



A rare species, from Bengal and from the province Wellesley. It attains to a length of 

 25 inches, the tail measuring 4 inches. 



