70 COLUBER EXIMIUS. 



and very large; there are two posterior orbital, of quadrilateral form and nearly 

 of equal size; there are seven labial on each side, quadrilateral, and increasing 

 in size from the rostral plate to the angle of the mouth; of these, the third and 

 fourth make the inferior wall of the orbit of the eye. 



The nostrils are large, near the snout and lateral, but open a little upwards. 

 The eyes are large, with the pupil dusky, and the iris pale grey. The neck is 

 contracted. 



The body is elongated, but tolerably robust, and covered with smooth, rather 

 small, hexagonal scales above, and with broad plates below. The tail is rather 

 short, thick at its root, but soon becomes cylindrical and smaller, ending in a 

 horny tip. 



Colour. The Coluber eximius resembles much the Coluber guttatus in the 

 disposition of its colours, though it varies greatly from it in its tints; the ground 

 colour of the whole superior surface of the animal is a shining milky-white, often 

 with a reddish tinge; the anterior part of the head is marked with a few not very 

 distinct dusky spots, and has a well marked transverse dusky band reaching from 

 the anterior extremity of one superior orbital plate to the other, and occupying 

 about half the posterior part of the frontal plates; another line, smaller, but of 

 similar colour, descends backwards to the angle of the mouth; the cro^vn of the 

 head, as well as its occipital region and neck, is occupied by a large dusky 

 blotch, with a small white spot near its anterior border, and a larger one, 

 elongated, resembling somewhat the letter V in its centre; this dark blotch is so 

 arranged as to leave before it a transverse white bar, which includes the two 

 posterior thirds of the superior orbital plates, from the posterior part of which 

 descends on each side over the temples a lateral line of similar colour to behind 

 the angle of the mouth. The upper hp is milky-white, with the posterior part of 

 each plate margined with dusky. 



The body above is milky-white, often tinged with red; along the vertebral line 



