Griffin: Leptodeira albofusca. 



323 



to be the best character to use as basic; by placing the other principal 

 characters in conjunction with it the constancy or variability of the 

 alleged specific differences will be made clear. Twenty-six of the 

 specimens at my disposal have nineteen scale-rows; forty-three have 

 twenty-one, twenty-three, or twenty-five rows. I have not always 

 included every specimen in the following tabular statements, the 

 omissions being due to defects in some of the specimens. 



Proportions of the Rostral. 



Rostral Twice 



as Broad as 



as Deep. 



Rostral Less 



Than Twice 



as Broad as 



Deep. 



Limits of 

 Variation. 



Specimens with twenty-one to twenty- 

 five scale-rows (43) 



Specimens with nineteen scale-rows (25) 



10(23%) 

 4(16%) 



33(77%) 

 21 (84%) 



1-1/3:1-2:1 

 1-1/4:1-2:1 



The rostral is twice as broad as deep in only a small proportion of 



either those having twenty-one to twenty-five or those having nineteen 



scale-rows. Its usual proportion of width to depth in both categories 



is about one and two-thirds to one. No distinction can be based on 



this character. 



Occurrence of a Subocular. 



A subocular on one No subocular' 

 or both sides. 

 Specimens with twenty-one to twenty-five scale 



rows (42) 32 (76%) 10 (24%) 



On only one side, 2. 



Specimens with nineteen scale-rows (24) 10(42%) 14(58%) 



On only one side, 5. 



This is the most definite of the possibly distinguishing characters. 

 The majority of the snakes with twenty-one to twenty-five scale-rows 

 do have a sub-ocular, but as nearly half of those with nineteen scale- 

 rows also possess the shield, the distinction is not as sharp as it should 

 be to serve as a specific character. 



Number of Labials Entering the Margin of the Orbit. 



Two Labials. Three Labials. 



Specimens with twenty-one to twenty-five scale-rows 



(42) 36 (86%) 6 (14%) 



Specimens with nineteen scale-rows (25) 17 (68%) 8 (32%) 



The majority of all the specimens have only two supralabials 

 bordering the orbit, though the proportion of such is greater in those 



