188 THE HERPETOLOGY OF CUBA. 



narrative from a wholly trustworthy observer, Sehor V. J. Rodriguez, Assistant 

 in the Museo Poey at the University of Havana : — 



" Once while exploring near Maisi we entered a cave which had just inside the entrance 

 a large salon. From tliis a narrow passageway led to a second hall, the passagewaj' greatly 

 narrowed by two huge boulders which had fallen in. On entering the second room we heard 

 a noise and upon further examination found that the whole floor of the cave was one seething 

 mass of enormous cockroaches and tliat the noise was the result of the rubbing of one with 

 another as they struggled about. Large centipedes were moving back and forth across this 

 living floor. Our lights showed a veritable inferno in miniatiu-e. Bats flew about in great 

 clouds, the stench was overpowering and the chambers still further in were so fearfully hot 

 that no entrance was possible. On our way out in the narrow passage between the first 

 two halls a large maja was ensconced in a hole at about the level of one's shoulder and with 

 several feet of his body projecting he was making vicious lunges at the passing and repassing 

 bats which we had stirred up. We finally got him by the neck and with some labour hauled 

 him free and bagged him." 



Key to the Species of Tropidophis. 



a' Scales keeled vielanuriis, p. 188 



a' Scales smooth. 



b' Scales in 2.5 to 29 rows, ventrals about 170-215 maculalus, p. 190 



b- Scales in less than 2.5 rows. 



c' Scales in 23 or 25 rows, ventrals 140-160 pardalis, p. 189 



0^ Scales in 21 or 2.3 rows, ventrals usually over 200 semicinctus, p. 191 



56. Tropidophis melanurus (Schlegel). 

 Maja; Culebra boba. 



Diagnosis: — The largest member of the genus, a sluggish constrictor, 

 like its congeners with vertical pupils in the eyes, usually corn-colour, or light 

 grayish and with the scales strongly keeled. 



Description: — Adult M. C. Z. 10,835. Cuba: Pihar del Rio; Guane, 

 February, 1915. Thomas Barbour. 



Head very distinct from neck; rostral much broader than deep, just visible 

 from above; frontal longer than broad, a little shorter than its distance from 

 rostral; parietals not very conspicuously differentiated; one pre- and three 

 postoculars; nine upper labials, fourth and fifth entering the eye; scales in 

 twenty-seven (sometimes twenty-nine) rows, distinctly keeled except the three 

 outer rows (sometimes four or five) which are smooth; ventrals 220 (range 

 200-225) ; anal entire ; subcaudals forty-two (range 30-45) . 



Colour (in Ufe) : — Varying shades of corn-yellow, reddish and ashy gray 



