CALAMARIA ELAPSOIDEA. 121 



General Remarks. It is more than probable that Bosc had this animal in 

 view when describing his "Coulcuvre ecarlate,"* (Coluber coccineus,) for his 

 description agrees perfectly well: "body vermilion, with transverse bands of 

 yellowish-white between black bands;" and, besides this, his figure of it corres- 

 ponds to the one here given, in shape, size, and disposition of the colours. But 

 there is still some confusion, for prior to this he had sent "the animal, accom- 

 panied by a description and drawing," to Latreille, who published them both in 

 his Histoire Naturelle des Reptiles; in which he says of it, "the snout is obtuse 

 and somewhat of the horse-shoe shape; under part of the body uniform white." 



Yet in Bosc's description, quoted above, the rings are represented encircling 

 the body, as in the Elaps fulvius, with which the animal seems to have been 

 confounded, but from which it is entirely distinct in the arrangement of its teeth; 

 there being in the Calamaria elapsoidea, palatine and maxillary teeth, but no 

 fangs. 



'b^ 



The disposition of the colour, too, is different, as may be seen on a careful 

 examination; for in the Elaps fulvius we have certainly a crimson groundwork 

 and black rings, but each black ring is bordered with a smaller yellow one, both 

 anteriorly and posteriorly. Should, however, this animal be the Couleuvre 

 ecarlate (Coluber coccineus) of Bosc, still his specific name cannot be retained as 

 it has been previously applied by Blumenbach to another serpent. 



* Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. vi. p. 395. 



Vol. III.— 16 



