94 Catalogue of Reptiles inhabiting the 



maxillary tooth longer than the rest. The trunk is very slender, cylin- 

 drical, with the centre of the back raised, forming a sharp ridge, the 

 sides bulging near the abdomen, which is arched. The scales are im- 

 bricate, very elongated rhomboidal with the apex notched, except 

 the two lowest series on each side, which are broad rhombic ; they are 

 all sharply keeled, and disposed on the anterior part of the trunk in 

 1 9, on the middle part in 1 7 longitudinal series. The tail elongated, 

 cylindrical, very slender, tapering to a fine point. A single individual 

 observed on the Great Hill of Pinang by W. T. Lewis, Esq. was of the 

 following dimensions : 



Length of the head, ft. Of inch. 



Ditto ditto trunk, 1 7 



Ditto ditto tail, 7# 



2 ft. 3| inch. 



Circumference of the neck, |, of the trunk, \\, of the root of the 

 tail, | inch. 



Like most of the Asiatic species of this genus, the present is of fierce 

 habits. It twice unprovokedly bit a wood cutter who happened to 

 pass it. The bite, of course, was productive of no consequences except 

 a slight momentary pain. The very slender make and the elongated 

 tail are characters which approach this species to the arborial Colu- 

 bridce. 



Gen. Homalopsis, apud Schtegel. 



(Erpeton,L&cepbde, 1803. — Rhinopirus, Merrem, 1820. — Pseuderyx, 

 Fitzinger, 1826. — Homalopsis, Kuhl, 182/. — Cerberus, Cuvier, 1829.— 

 Hypsirhina, Wagler, 1830. — Hydrops, Wagler, 1830. — Helicops, Wag- 

 ler, 1830. — Potamophis, Cantor, 1836.) 



Homalojms, Kuhl. Nostrils opening vertically in the centre of the 

 small nasals, with a valvule ; crown shields small ; dorsal scales imbri- 

 cate, keeled ; chin with many small shields, throat scaly ; labials nar- 

 row ; abdomen with scuta ; tail short, tapering to a sharp point ; be- 

 neath with scutella. 



Homalopsts rhinchops, (Schneider.) 



Syn.— Seba, II. T. 15. F. 3. 



Hydrus rhinchops, Schneider. 

 Russell, I. PI. 1/. Karoo Bokadam. 

 Russell, II. PI. 40, (young.) 

 Boa moluroides, Schneider. 



