SNAKES. 79 



34. Raclitia. 



Body cylindrical ; scales smooth ; ventral shields rather nar- 

 row : head small ; crown shielded : frontal shields two pairs ; front 

 pair small, triangular ; vertebral and superciliary small, broad ; 

 hinder labial shields entire ; one loreal ; one small anterior and one 

 oblong posterior ocular : eyes small, over fourth shield : tail short, 

 conical ; subcaudal plate two-rowed : nostril in middle of shield, 

 with a groove to the hinder edge : chin shields two pairs. 



Raclitia, Gray, Zool. Misc. 67, 1842. " Ophoberophide," 

 Bihron. 



1. The Indian Raclitia. Raclitia Indica, Gray, Zool. Misc. 

 67. " Ophoberophide," Bibron, MSS. B. M. 



Purplish brown, beneath pale : crown with a series of short, ir- 

 regular, white cross-bands on each side : occiput with one or two 

 very narrow, white, indistinct cross-bands. 



a, h. In spirits. Adult. India. Presented by General Hardwicke. 



35. MlRALIA. 



Head short, small ; crown shielded : frontal two pairs ; anterior 

 small, triangular ? loreal none ? one anterior and two posterior ocu- 

 lars ; occipital plates large ; upper labial simple ; temples shielded -. 

 body slender, compressed ; scales smooth, in 19 series: tail short, 

 thick, conical. 



Miralia, Gray, Zool. Misc. Q7, 1842. Pelophis, Fitz. S. R. 

 25, 1843, no char. Brachyorrhos sp.. Bote, Isis, 1827. Reuss. Mus. 

 Senkenh. Homalopsis sp., Schlegel, Phys. Serp. 344. 



1. The Miralia. Miralia alternans. Gray, Zool. Misc. 68. 

 Brachyorrhos alternans, Reuss. Mus. Senk. t. 9, /. 3. Pelophis 

 alternans, Fitz. S. R. 25. Homalopsis decussata, Schlegel, Phys. 

 Serp. 344, t. 13, /. 14, 16. 



Reddish, with alternate white and red-brown rings : neck with 

 a white collar : muzzle with a white spot. 



Inhabits Java. Mus. Leyden and France. Perhaps an ab- 

 normal variety of Raclitia Indica. 



