NOTES ON SNAKES— WAITE. 105 



II. MiCROPECHIS ELAPOIDES, Boul. 



Hoplocephalus elapoides, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1890, p. 30, pi. ii., fig. 3. 

 Micropechis elapoides, Brit. Mus. Cat. Snakes, (2nd ed.) iii., 1896, 

 p. 347. 



The only particular in which this specimen differs from the type 

 is in the extent of its markings. Instead of the black bands being 

 less than twice the width of the interspaces they are five or 

 six times as wide. In Boulenger's figure the black bands are 

 shown as wide at the sides as on the vertebral line. In our 

 example they are so disposed that the cream ground colour appears 

 as a series of inverted Vs when viewed laterally. The condition 

 may be illustrated by supposing a number of flexible pennies were 

 laid upon the back within an eighth of an inch of each other and 

 then folded down the sides. The bands encircle the tail and the 

 ventral scales are generally edged and clouded with black. The 

 first black band commences close behind the parietals, which, 

 together with the snout and ocular region are also black. 



III. — FuRiNA CALONOTA, Dum. <t Bihr. 



Furina calonotos, Erpet. Gener., 1854, vii., p. 1241, pi. Ixxv. b. 



The habitat of this species having always been in question, and 

 even yet doubtful, it is with satisfaction that I am able to remove 

 the uncertainty. The authors state that Verreaux sent two 

 examples from Tasmania in 1844. After a quarter of a century 

 a specimen was obtained by the British Museum, the locality 

 being given as Baranquilla at the mouth of the River Magdalena 

 in Columbia. Doubts were cast on this when Brachyurophis 

 (Rhynchelaps) purchased as from the same locality, was discovered 

 to be an Australian genus. 



According to the British Museum Catalogue, the locality is 

 doubtfully West Australia, as explained by the footnote* : — 



" The specimen was purchased as from Baranquilla, Columbia, 

 together with a specimen of the W. Australian Rhynchelaps 

 semifasciatus." 



Quite recently we received, by presentation from Mr. Henry 

 Richards, an interesting series of Reptiles from West Australia, 

 including a small example of Furina calonota, the locality being 

 rendered as Claremont, five miles from Perth. 



* Brit. Mus. Cat. Snakes, (2nd ed.) iii., 1896, p. 407. 



