46 



Belly and ventral row of scales, throat, subcaudals — 

 ground colour, plain, marbled, marbling, striped, spotted, &c. 



Head, ground colour ; cross-bands, fillets, >■ or <: mark- 

 ings ; postocular, subocular or nuchal streaks. 



Teeth, number (fixed), equal, increasing, decreasing ; any 

 longer teeth before or behind ; separated by any interval ; 

 palatine teeth. 



CHAPTER III. — Descriptive Catalogue. 



In the following catalogue I have considerably abbre- 

 viated the full description, giving in most cases only the 

 colour and the distinctive features. In the more common 

 kinds of snakes, such as are ordinarily met with, this 

 description is somewhat enlarged in order to admit of 

 their more ready recognition, whilst in those of which only 

 one or two specimens exist in museums, I have given a 

 description just sufficient to show the specific differences, 

 but yet full enough, I hope, to cause their recognition as 

 rarities in case they should be perchance met with. 



I have given the descriptions as succinctly as possible, 

 and to avoid any mistake I may remind the reader that the 

 lateral halves of a snake being symmetrical, I have, as a 

 rule, described only one side. If I say that a snake has a 

 vertebral, a dorsal and a lateral stripe, it must be understood 

 that on each side of the single vertebral stripe there is a 

 dorsal and a lateral stripe. 



First Sub-order. HARMLESS COLUBRINE SNAKES. 



Family I.— TYPHLOPIDiE. 



Of small size ; body cylindrical, thicker behind ; tail not 

 longer than the breadth of the head, ending in a minute 

 spine. Body covered with equal scales, no ventrals. Head 



