60 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



acterizes the external form of the serpent sufficiently well, but it may be added 

 that the supra-labials are for the most part bordered with black, and that 25 

 large blotches may be counted on each side of the body ; upper part of neck of 

 same color as occiput, probably green during life. There is but a single chan- 

 nelled posterior tooth on each side in these specimens, and therefore they cannot 

 belong to the genus Triglophodon of Dum. and Bibron, which has three ; the 

 posterior geneials are longer than the anterior, but of about equal breadth. 



TOXICODRYAS, nob. 



Gen. Char. A single tooth channelled anteriorly in the posterior part of the 

 upper jaw, much longer than the others, and more robust ; the other superior 

 maxillary teeth smooth, of nearly equal length, well developed, and equally 

 spaced but wide apart, the two anterior somewhat shorter; five or six in num- 

 ber; pterygopalatine teeth well developed, the anterior the longest; three 

 anterior teeth in the lower jaw longer than the others, and stouter, the three 

 posterior the smallest, the three intermediate ones smaller than the three anterior, 

 but larger than the three posterior ; unequally spaced ; head covered above 

 with nine plates ; a rostral broader than long, two broad inter-nasals, smaller 

 considerably than the pre-frontals ; a frontal of moderate length, but broader 

 anteriorly; supra-oculars remarkable for their great breadth posteriorly; 

 parietals of moderate size ; nostrils large, lateral, between two plates ; a quad- 

 rangular frenal ; two anterior and two posterior oculars; two rows of plates 

 between the parietals and supra-labials ; eye resting on the fourth, fifth and 

 sixth of the latter; body very long and much compiessed ; scales long, narrow 

 and quadrangular ; a dorsal row much larger, hexagonal ; abdominal scutes 

 extending upon the flanks ; sides of abdomen angular ; tail long with bifid 

 scutes. 



ToxicoDRTAS Blandingii, nob. 



Syn. Dipsas Blandingii, vol. ii. p. 170 — vol. vii. p. 100. 



Sp. Char. 17 to 22 rows of scales ; color greenish olive above; three black 

 spots upon the head ; one at the internal and posterior angle of the supra-ocular, 

 the other near the internal and posterior margin of the parietals ; supra-labials 

 bordered posteriorly with black, one of these spots broader than the rest, 

 reaching up nearly to the eye; body greenish olive above, with 25 large dark 

 colored alternate blotches on either side; upper part of tail marked in a similar 

 manner; chin, throat, abdomen and under part of tail yellow ; ab. scut. 274, 

 1 bifid preanal ; sub-caudal 137; circumference 3 inches, total length 5 ft. 7 

 inch. (Fr.) tail 1 ft. 4 inch. 



Habitat. Liberia and Gaboon. Two specimens, one presented by Dr. Wil- 

 liam Blanding, the other by Dr. Henry A. Ford. 



Gen. Remarks. We formerly placed this serpent in the genus Dipsas, from its 

 large head, compressed body and the large row of hexagonal scales along the 

 middle line of the back; but a careful examination of the teeth, as well as of 

 the external form, shows that it does not belong to that genus ; it is one of the 

 most remarkable of the Arboricole Opystoglyphs, so characteristic of the her- 

 petological fauna of the western coast of Africa; we had supposed also that this 

 serpent might be identical with the Dipsas cynodon of Schegel, (Opetiodon cy- 

 nodon D. and B.) but in Opetiodon there is but one pre-ocular, the flanks are 

 rounded, pupil oval, &c. The frontal and supra-ocular plates in Toxicodryas are 

 quite different in shape from the corresponding plates in the figure of Dipsas 

 cynodon by Prof Schegel (Abbildungen, pi. xi. fig. 10 and 11,) the supra- 

 oculars being more narrow iu front, the frontal more narrow posteriorly; the 

 two last supra-labials are different in shape and much larger in Toxicodryas 

 than in fig. 11. In 0. cynodon, the pre-oculars are almost contiguous to the 

 frontal, in T. Blandingii they are separated by an interval of about a line, seven 

 or eight temporals instead of five, of which three touch the post-oculars (two 

 in T. Blandingii.) Cynodon is a native of Java and Borneo. The characters 



[Feb. 



