210 PROCEEDINGS OP THE ACADEMY OP 



suddenly wider than the body, and with closely approximated 

 broad black rings. 



Tail one 22d or 3d of the total length, obtusely conic at the 

 apex. Scales rather broad, in fifteen longitudinal rows. Head 

 broad and short, the muzzle broadly rounded. Eye very small, 

 not exceeding the external nostril. Rostril plate broad, low; 

 internasals a little longer than wide. Frontal elongate, exceeding 

 superciliaries by. 33; occipitals large. Preocular large, triangu- 

 lar, the apex just touching the postnasal. Postoculars small, 

 the upper larger, and in contact with occipital. Labials high and 

 narrow, seven on the upper lip. Of these, the third is as wide as 

 the base of the preocular, while the fourth and fifth, which sup- 

 port the orbit, are very narrow. The sixth is very large, and 

 reaches the occipital on one side, but is separated on the other by 

 a narrow temporal cut from its upper margin. Counting this one, 

 the temporals are 1-1-1 ; the last two being large. Seventh la- 

 bial but little longer than deep. The venom gland of this species 

 must be large, as the head is much swollen laterally, and the la- 

 bials exhibit a broad infolded margin at the borders of the lips 

 which are in contact. The fangs are short. Inferior labials seven, 

 all wide ; geneials large, the pairs equal, separated by three scales 

 from the first gastrostege. Fourth labial in contact with geneial 

 in part, the other part with the fifth and sixth, bordered poste- 

 riorly by a plate which diverges from the geneials. Gastrosteges 

 268; anal divided; urosteges 23. 



Ground color crimson, crossed by numerous closely placed 

 black annuli, which are closer together above than on the abdo- 

 men. They cover four series of scales above, and two gastrosteges. 

 There are fifty-five on the body in the specimen, and two and 

 a tip on the tail. The scales of the red annuli on the sides are 

 dotted with black. The first ring forms a collar, in front of which 

 the head is yellow as far as the postoculars and middle of fifth 

 labials. In front of this point it is unspotted black. Chin little 

 or not dark-spotted. Total length, M. 9.35 ; of tail, 0.4Y ; width of 

 head, 0.19. 



The very small eyes and broad head give this serpent a vicious 

 expression, and it is probably one of the most venomous of the 

 genus. Its characters are intermediate between those of the E. 

 corallinus and E. mipartitus, and the large extent of the sixth 

 upper labial, if normal, will ally it to the E. 7Hisei. It is as large 



[October 24, 



