244 v [May, 1845. 



Dimensions. 



Feet. Inches. 

 Length of head, ... £ 



Greatest breadth, ... f 



Length of body, 1 2 



Length of tail, - - - If 



Coluber Ashmeadii. 



Description. — Head of moderate size, covered above with nine plates, of these 

 the occipital are the largest, they are pentagonal ; the vertical plate is hexagonal ; 

 it is joined anteriorly to the posterior frontal and to the ant-ocular plates, poste- 

 riorly it is connected with the occipital ; its sides are incurvated to receive the 

 supra-orbital plates; the supra-orbitar plates are pentagonal, they are joined 

 superiorly to the vertical ; the external margin is incurvated to form the upper 

 portion of the orbit; there is one ant-ocular and two post-ocular plates; the pos- 

 terior frontals are large and pentagonal ; tho anterior are smaller in size and 

 quadrilateral; there are two nasal plates, with the nostril placed between them; 

 there are eight superior labials, of these the seventh is the largest ; the eye is 

 of moderate size and somewhat projecting ; the neck, and posterior part of the 

 body, is slender ; the body is much thicker in the middle ; tail rather long and 

 tapering. 



Colour. — Head of a brownish-ash colour above and upon the sides ; body ash 

 coloured ; a series of scars or blotches, of a darker colour than the rest of the 

 body, extend from the neck to near the extremity of the tail, these are bordered 

 with white ; there is a dark coloured vitta extending from the posterior part of 

 the eye to the posterior extremity of the upper jaw ; a dark coloured blotch is 

 observed extending from the occiput along the upper part of the neck, on each 

 side, a short distance ; the chin, throat, abdomen, and under part of tail are of a 

 light straw colour. 



Abdominal scuta 191 : subcaudal 113. 



This species I have named after my friend Mr. Samuel Ashmead, to whose 

 kindness I am indebted for the opportunity of describing all the species con- 

 tained in this paper. 



Dimensions. 



Feet. Inches. 



Length of head, ... f 



Greatest breadth, ... \ 



Length of body, 1 \ 



Length of tail, ... 5| 



Coluber varicgatus. 



Description. — Head of moderate size, flattened above, compressed laterally, 

 covered with nine plates ; of these the occipital are pentangular ; the vertical is 

 small and hexagonal, it is joined anteriorly to the posterior frontals, laterally to 

 the supra-orbitar, and posteriorly to the occipital plato ; the supra-orbitar are 



