472 BULLETIN 58, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



tendency, however, to a less definite arrangement of light and dark 

 spots on the underside and to a more or less complete obliteration 

 of the lateral spots. 



Description (figs. 366-368). — Young; Science College Museum, 

 Tokyo, No. 19; Iriomote shima; 1887; Tashiro, collector. Rostral 

 broader than high, barely visible from above, bordered behind by two 

 scales wdiich separate the anterior nasals, the latter not turned over the 

 canthus rostralis to the upper surface of the snout ; two larger scales on 

 canthus rostralis, the anterior separated from the rostral and from the 

 posterior one respectively by a small scale and the latter by a similar 

 scale from the supraocular, the outer edges of these scales being raised 

 like that of the supraoculars; upper head scales small, smooth, 13 in a 

 row between supraoculars, which are somewhat more than one-third 

 as wide as interorbital space; posterior nasal smaller than anterior, 

 followed by a single squarish loreal, behind which an equally broad, 

 elongate upper preocular; a second, much narrower and somewhat 

 longer preocular forms the upper edge of the pit; three postoculars, 



366 ■ 367 368 



Figs. 366-368.— Trimeresurus elegans. nat. size. 366, top of head; 367, side of head; 368, 



UNDERSIDE OF^HEAD. NO. C 40, HiGH SrllOOL, KUMAMOTO. 



including the long, narrow crescentic subocular which reaches the sub- 

 foveal, and is separated from fourth supralabial by two rows of scales; 

 upper temporals weakly keeled, lower ones smooth, those bordering 

 the supralabials larger than the latter; 7 supralabials, first small; sec- 

 ond forming the anterior border of the pit, third largest, fourth long, 

 but perceptibly lower than third, and not much higher than those fol- 

 lowing ; three lower labials in contact with anterior chin-shields, which 

 are larger than the posterior ones ; scales pointed, in 23 rows, all strongly 

 keeled, except outer row which is smooth; 188 ventrals; anal entire; 

 72 pairs of subcaudals. Color (in alcohol) pale brownish gray above ; 

 a series of darker brownish blotches, with paler centers, along the mid- 

 dle of the back, the respective halves of each blotch on each side of the 

 median line not always fitting together, but sometimes even com- 

 pletely alternating and thus forming in places an interrupted zigzag 

 band; tip of tail uniform light-colored (yellow?) ; on the sides obscure 

 traces of a dark spot below each dorsal Idotch; a somewhat ill-defined 



