522 Annals of the Soutli African Musetmi. 



2. BITIS. 

 Gray, Zool. Miscell. p. 69 ; Bouleng. Cat. Sn. iii. p. 492. 



Six Species in South Africa. 



I. Nostrils directed upwards ; scales in 31 to 41 rows />. (uietans. 



II. Nostrils directed upwards and outwards ; scales in 21 to 31 rows. 



A. Supraocular region not raised, without horn-like scales ; 

 subcaudals well developed and smooth in both sexes. 



Outer row of scales smooth B. peringueyi. 



Outer row of scales keeled B. atropos. 



B. Supraocular region raised, without horn-like scales ; sub- 

 caudals well developed and smooth in both sexes B. inornatii. 



C. Supraocular region usually with horn-like scales; sub- 

 caudals, in females, small and scale-like, more or less 

 distinctly keeled. 



Several supraorbital horns />. cornuta. 



Supraorbital horn, if present, single B. caiidalis. 



1. BiTIS ARIETANS. 



Vijjera arietans, Merrem, Tent. Syst. Amph. p. 152. 



Bitis arietans, Bouleng., t.c, p. 493. 



Tropical and South Africa, Arabia. 



Cape Colony : Cape Peninsula (Oakley) ; Paarl (Hugo) ; Port 



St. Johns (Shortridge) ; Port EHzabeth (Moorhouse) ; Little 



Namaqualand (Peringuey). 

 Basutoland : Morija (Dyke). 

 Natal : Victoria County (Bowker). 

 Southern Rhodesia : Mazoe (Darling) ; Hunyani River (Thomas) ; 



Salisbury (Thomas). 

 German South-West Africa : Damaraland (Fairbridge). 



2. Bitis peringueyi. 



ViiJera 2)eringticyi, Bouleng. Ann. & Mag. N. H. (2) ii., 1888, p. 141. 

 Bitis peringueyi, Bouleng., t.c, p. 495. 

 German South-West Africa, Kalahari, Angola. 

 Walfisch Bay territory (Nightingale), tyjJe. 



3. Bitis ateopos. 



Coluber atropos, Linn. S. N. i. p. 375. 



Bitis atropos, Bouleng., t.c, p. 495. 



Cape Colony, Transvaal. 



Cape Colony : Cape Peninsula (Fairbridge, Layard, Lightfoot) ; 



Knysna (Oakley) ; East London (Wood) ; Port Elizabeth 



(Drege, Moorhouse). 

 Transvaal : Ly den burg (Kilgour). 



