716 RE-DESCRIPTION OF ASPIDITES RAMSAYT, MACLEAY, 



As the British Museum Catalogue does not indicate that the 

 author possessed any material, nor literature other than that 

 quoted in this paper, I regard this passage as a misinterpretation 

 of the following remark of Macleay's : — " The eye is surrounded 

 by nine shields including the superciliar3^" In A. melnnocephalus* 

 there are only eight shields surrounding the eye, and it appears 

 probable that Boulenger has considered the extra shield to be a 

 subocular. In both of our specimens there are also nine circum- 

 ocular shields, the extra one being a prteocular. As Macleay does 

 not refer to this point, it is only reasonable to argue that the same 

 conditions existed in the type. 



Description. — Rostral broader than deep, the portion visible 

 from above one-fifth as long as its distance from the frontal; 

 internasals longer than broad, two-thirds the length of the anterior 

 l^n^frontals, their posterior borders forming a straight line, that 

 of each shield being equal to the median suture; anterior pra;- 

 frontals longer than broad and wholly larger than the internasals; 

 posterior pr^efrontals as broad as long, the median suture long, 

 two-thirds that of the internasals; frontal a little longer than 

 broad; parietals large, separated by three or four small shields; 

 three loreals, the posterior one rather small; three praeoculars; 

 four postoculars; fourteen upper labials, the seventh just entering 

 the eye; nineteen lower labials, the anterior eleven narrow. Scales 

 in fifty-three to sixty-three rows: ventrals two hundred and 

 ninety-nine; anal entire; subcaudals fifty-three, the last seven 

 divided. 



Colours. — Dark brown above, lighter on the sides, with regular 

 well-marked darker brown bands from the head to the tail; 

 ventrals bright yellow with irregular ])luish-grey markings, more 

 defined anteriorly. 



Total length 1830 millim.; tail 190 millim. 



Registered number, R. 1607. 



Having examined three specimens of A . nielanocephalus and two 

 of A. ramsayi, I submit the following as a summary of their dis- 

 tinguishing features. The slight differences observable between 



* Krefft, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1S64, p. 20, and figures. 



