715 



PAPERS READ. 



RE-DE8CRIPTI0N OF ASPIDITES RAMSAY I, 

 MACLEAY. 



By Ed(;ar R. Waite, F.L.S. 



(Zoologist, Australian Museum, 8ydxey.) 



(Contributions from the Australian Museum. ) 



(Plate L.) ^ 



Mr. W. J. C. Ross, of the Technological Museum at Bathurst, 

 recently forwarded for identification a large snake of the genus 

 Aspidites, obtained at Bourke, New 8outh Wales. This specimen 

 has become the property of the Australian Museum. Although, 

 apparently, it does not entirely agree with the type of A. raiasayi* 

 I have no hesitation in regarding it as that species. 



As the type specimen, unfortunately, appears to have been lost, 

 and as the original description is somewhat unsatisfactory, I have 

 thought it wise to describe and figure the above mentioned 

 specimen. 



Whilst searching for Macleay's example, I was pleased to find 

 a specimen (without data) which agrees with the one from Bourke 

 in all essential particulars. Both these examples differ from the 

 type as follows : — The anal shield is undivided, the tail is between 

 a ninth and a tenth of the total length, and the first eleven lower 

 labials are narrow. In the type, /?rfe Macleay, there are two anal 

 shields, the tail is al)out one-sixth of the total length, and the first 

 seven lower labials are narrow. In addition to these points 

 Boulenger remarksf that it "differs from the preceding \_A. melano- 

 cephalus, Krefft] in having the eye separated from the labials by 

 a sul)ocular." 



* Macleay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N S.W. 1882, vi. p. 813. 

 + Bnt. Mus. Cat. of Snakes, I. p. 9'2. 



