34 REPTILES. 



c. Head depressed, shielded, prominent over the eyes. Nostrils between 

 two shields. Pupil erect, elliptical. Tail ending in a recurved 

 spine ; subcaudal plates one-rowed. Acanthophina. 



9. ACANTHOPHIS. 



Head-shield ratlier scale-like ; loreal shields none ; eyes sur- 

 rounded beneath with a series of shields ; labial shields large ; scales 

 smooth, rather thin ; anterior dorsal keeled. 



Acanthophis, Daud. Rept. \. 287. Cuvier^ R. A. ii, 79. Wag- 

 ler, Amph. 172. Boie, Isis, ]S27, 556. Ophryas, Merrem, Tent. 

 146, 1820. Boa sp., Shaw. 



1. The Death Addee. Acanthophis antarctica, Wagler, 

 Syst. 172. Gray, Zool. Misc. 96. Boa antarctica, Shaw, Misc. 

 t. 35. Aspis aculeata, E. W. Gray, MSS. Brit. Mus. Boa acu- 

 leata, G. Shaiv, MSS. Brit. Mus. Boa palbebrosa, Shaw, Zool. 

 iii. 362. Ophryas Acanthophis, Merrem, Tent. 147. Beytr. ii. 20, 

 t. 9. Vipera Acanthophis, Schlegel, P. S. 605, t. 21, /. 21—23. 

 Acanthophis cerastinus, Lacep. Ann. Mus. iv. 10. Daud. Rept. v. 

 289, t. 67, from Merrem. Guerin, Icon. t. 24, /. 2. A. Brownii, 

 Leach, Zool. Misc. i. 12, t. 35. Schlingende Natter, Merrem, Beytr. 

 I. 20, t. 3. Death Viper or Death Adder, Colonists. 



Olive, very minutely punctulated with broad darker cross bands ; 

 upper lip white-spotted ; low^er lip and chin yellow, black-spotted ; 

 lowest series of scales and ventral shields dark, yellow-edged. 



a. In spirits. Bleached. Old collection. 



" Aspis aculeata, E. W. Gray, MSS!' " Boa aculeata, G. 

 Shaiv, MSS." 



b. In spirits. Adult. Australia, Van Dieman's Land ? Presented 



by the Rev. J. Wilton. 



c. In spirits. Adult. N. W. Australia. 



d. In spirits. Adult. Port Essington. Presented by the Earl of 



Derby. 



e. Stuffed. Adult. Australia. 



The family contains 9 genera and 20 species, of which 2 genera 

 and 4 species are from Asia, 5 genera and J 2 species from Africa, 

 2 genera and 3 species in Europe, and 1 genus and 1 species from 

 Australia. All the genera are confined to a single quarter of the 

 globe, except Echis, which has 1 species from Africa and the other 

 from India, and each of these species form a subgenus. Schlegel 

 described only 12 species. 



