Zoohgy."] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. [lieptiles. 



This rare and beautiful little snake is a clear example of the 

 genus Furina, distinguished from Diemenia* by there being only a 

 single nasal plate pierced by the small nostril, instead of two with 

 the nostril between them. Although technically a poisonous snake, 

 it is too small to be dangerous. In the two large black patches on 

 the head and nape, separated by the narrow transverse light band, 

 this new species resembles the Furina himaculata (Dmn. & Bib.), 

 but differs in the proportions of the head plates, in the greater 

 number of rows of scales on the back and in the greater number of 

 the subcaudal scales. 



No other Australian snake has the middle of the body marked 

 with narrow distant black bands, often imperfect, on alternate sides 

 like the example figured, but three other specimens of the same 

 size are without them. 



The genus Cacophis of Giinther does not seem clearly distin- 

 guished from the older Furina^ as Steindacher seems also to think. 

 None of the described species of Cacophis have any approach to 

 the large numl^er of pairs of subcaudal plates of the present snake. 

 The specimen figured was found in a torpid state under a piece of 

 bark in July at Longwood, by Mr. Henry Tul)b, who presented it 

 to the Museum collection ; it has 202 ventral scales and 64 sub- 

 caudals, all divided. A second specimen, 12 inches long, of which 

 the tail formed 2 inches, found in September, was presented by 

 Dr. McCrea ; it has no bands on body and the spots on ventral 

 scales are greyish ; it has 180 ventral scales, and of the 64 sub- 

 caudal plates the first seven are undivided ; in all other respects 

 agreeing exactly mth the figured specimen. A third example in 

 the collection is 12|^ inches long, of which the tail is slightly over 

 2 inches ; it is without bands on the body, and the abdominal spots 

 are very faint ; it has 210 ventral scales, 66 subcaudal scales, of 

 which the first 4 are undivided ; in all other respects agreeing 

 exactly with the one figured. The number of rows of dorsal scales 

 is the same in all. Being found in the winter and early spring 



* In Diemenia superciliusa, the common brown snake, the nostril is so large as almost to 

 reach the edge al)Ove and below, so that it is often difficult to say whether there are one or two 

 nasals in that species ; in some specimens in the Museum there are clearly two nasal plates. 



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