122 ON THE rnYSIOGNOMY OF SERPENTS. 



the generic names Acimthophis, Echidna, Cophias, and 

 Natrix, substituted for the established denominations, 

 Ophryas, Vipera, Trigonoccphalus, and Coluber. 



It is almost to the same epoch we must refer the extensive 

 researches of the late H. Boie on Reptiles. This zealous 

 and indefatigable naturalist, in arranging the materials of the 

 collection of serpents in the Museum of the Lo^y Countries, 

 lias proposed nimicrous generic sections, in a great mea- 

 sure established at the expense of those already known. 

 This gi-eat work, in which Boie had collected his researches, 

 having been unpublished to the present day, it has 

 happened that extracts have been conmiunicated to many 

 herpetologists, who have hastened to adopt the views of 

 the late Boie, before the original researches could be laid 

 before the public. It was only in 1827 that M. Fr. 

 Bote of Keil published a sketch of the researches of his 

 brother, enriclied with his o^\m remarks. Tlie following 

 are the names of the new genera of Ophidians contained in 

 the work of the late M. Boie : — Xenopeltis (Reinwardt) ; 

 Brachyorrhos (Kuhl) ; Lycodon (Boie) ; Oligodon (Boie) ; 

 Amblycephalus (Kuhl) ; Elapodis (Boie) ; Homalopsis 

 (Kuhl) ; Xenodon (Boie) ; Tropidonotus (Kuhl) ; Her- 

 petodryas (Boie) ; Dendrophis (Boie) ; Psammophis (Boie) ; 

 and Chrysopelea (Boie). The specific description of my 

 work being in some measure founded on the labours of 

 Boie, it may be seen on consulting the memoir I have just 

 mentioned, in what my views differ from those of my pre- 

 decessor.* 



About the same period appeared several iconographic 

 works and observations on the Fauna of Brazil, which 

 have greatly contributed to clear up one of the most 

 confused departments of the science. The labours of the 

 Prince of Neuwied deserve to be first mentioned : this 

 august traveller is almost the only person who has made 

 observations on the habits of exotic serpents, and his book 

 must be included among the most precious of those that 

 have ever appeared on Herpetology : his exact, though mi- 

 nute description, cannot fail to be extremely useful ; the 



* Isis, XX., p. 508. 



