96 EEPTILES. 



f Head convex and rather compressed in front ; head-shield small. 



3, The Brown Aboma. Epicrates maurus. 



Uniform brown : lips and beneath yellow : the ninth upper la- 

 bial shield (the one next to the two under the eye) twice as broad as 

 the others ; anterior ocular shield high, forminof part of the fore- 

 head ; front lower labial shield very narrow : orbit with an incom- 

 plete ring of scales. 



a. In spirits. Adult. Venezuela. From Mr. Dyson's collection. 



7. XiPHOSOMA. 



Head large, covered with scales : nostrils lateral, between two 

 plates of two interuasals, and two rows of other symmetrical plates 

 behind them on the ends of the muzzle : rostral nine-sided, inequi- 

 lateral : eyes lateral ; pupil elliptical, erect ; orbit with a complete 

 circle of scales : all the lip-shields concave above, with a deep pit 

 on the hinder edge of the upper lip and on most of those of the 

 lower : body short, thick, compressed : scales flat, smooth : tail rather 

 short: subcaudal plates one-rowed. 



Xiphosoraa, Gray, Zool. Misc. 1842. Filz. N. Syst. 54, 1826. 

 Syst. Rept. 24, 1843. Xiphosoma, a, Wagler, Syst. 167. Xipho- 

 soma sp., Dum. ^ Bib. Erp. Gen. vi. 536. Fitz. N. Class. 54, 

 1826. 



1. The BoJOBi. Xiphosoma caninum, Fitz. Rept. 54, 1826. 

 Wagler, Syst, 167. Gray, Zool. Misc. 42. Dum. <$- Bib. Erp. Gen. 

 vi. 540. X. Araramboya, Wagler, Spix. Braz. 45, t. 16. Boa ca- 

 nina, Linn. Mus. Ad. 39, t. 3. Shaw, Nat. Hist. Zool. iii. t. 96. 

 Schlegel, P. S. 388, t. 14, /. 8, 9. Guerin, Icon, t. 19, /. 2. B. 

 Hypnale, Linn. S. N. i. 373, a. Seba, Thes. ii. t. 34,/. 1, 2. Lacep. 

 Quad. Ovip. ii. t. 16, /. 2. B. exigua, Laur. Syn. 89, B. auran- 

 tiaca, Laur. Syn. 89. Seba, ii. ^.81,/. 1. B. thalassina, Laur. 

 Seba, ii. t. 96, /. 2. B. viridis and B. flavescens, Bodd. Nov. Act. 

 Leop. vii. 17. Scheuch. P. S. t. 628, /. E. Bojobi, Term. Holl. 

 Equin. 35. Lacep. Quad. Ovip. ii. 378, t. 17, f. 1. 



Green: rostral plate nine-sided, inequilateral; internasal plates 

 two, with two rows of other symmetrical plates behind them : eyes 

 surrounded by a circle of scales. 



a. In spirits. Adult. Brazils. Old collection. 



Boa canina, Shaw, in B. M. 



b. In spirits. Half grown. Brazils. 



