198 THE HERPETOLOGY OF CUBA. 



1+2; seven upper labials, third and foiirth entering the eye; four lower 

 labials in contact with anterior chin shields which are shorter than the posterior; 

 seventeen rows of smooth scales around the body; 180 ventrals, anal di\aded; 

 86 subcaudals. 



Colour (fresh in alcohol) : — Rich mahogany-brown above, two hghter 

 stripes each covering two rows of dorsal scales extending from occiput to tail 

 and separated by the middorsal row which is dark brown Uke the sides. The 

 whole head and dorsal surface with a beautiful peach-blow iridescence; lower 

 surfaces creamy white. A few Ught spots and dots on snout and above the eyes. 



Dimensions: — Total length 465 mm. 



Length of tail 117.5 mm. 



In M. C. Z. 8,507, a half-grown example from near Cojimar, Havana 

 Province, Cuba; spring 1913, T. Barbour collector, the colours are much lighter, 

 the light stripes are three instead of two scales wide and stand at much greater 

 contrast with the brown ground-colour of the back. The snout is rounded and 

 hardly projecting. The projecting rostral, so evidently modified for bvu-rowing, 

 is apparently only acquired by the fully adult individuals. In this immature 

 example there are seventeen rows of scales, 168 ventrals, the anal is divided 

 and there are 89 subcaudals. 



The small snakes of this and the following species are perhaps entirely 

 nocturnal. By day they are found turned up from the earth by ploughs or 

 hidden under flat stones. We have never seen one moving abroad and they 

 are entirely unknown to the majority of the Cuban country people. They may 

 be more strictly subterranean than noctiu-nal although this is not easy to prove, 

 the strongly modified projecting rostral region and the small ill-developed eye 

 with round instead of elliptical pupil suggest this possibility. These snakes 

 are very rare and are but poorly represented in musemns. They also appear 

 to vary considerably, as is common with other species of similar habits, — and 

 some variations have given rise to synonymous names (c/. under A. vittatum). 

 Having seen the various specimens collected by the writers and those in the 

 museums of Washington and Havana there seems to be no reason to suppose 

 that this and the following species do not occm- widespread throughout Cuba; 

 they have been found in a perfectly haphazard way from San Cristobal in the 

 west to the Guantanamo area in the east. More specimens have been taken 

 about the latter locality by Gundlach, Wright, and the writers than anywhere 

 else; probably because the locaUty has been more intensively collected. 



