COLUBER iESCULAPII. 217 



apart, losing themselves, as it were, in the tail, which is 

 coloui'ed otherwise like the trunk ; the head is brown, with 

 two black lines from the eye to the angle of the mouth. 



In the young animal there are three rows of brown spots 

 on the back ; spots of the same colour on the sides ; belly 

 dark steel-grey marbled with white. 



The tail is about one -fifth of the entire length, which 

 frequently exceeds 5 feet. 



It is the largest of European Serpents, and the most 

 easily tamed. Is said to prefer hilly districts. 



Inhabits many parts of Southern Europe, the whole of 

 Central and Southern Italy, where it is very common, but 

 is not found in Lombardy, although met with again in 

 Austria and other parts of Germany. Prince Buonaparte 

 found it common on the hills around Eome. Is not common 

 in the South of France. Has been found, but very rarely, 

 in the Department of the Maine -et- Loire. Occurs in Spain 

 (in Arragon and Catalonia), Dalmatia, several parts of 

 Hungary, especially the Bannat, and about Mehadia ; also 

 in Greece, being found near Athens. 



Coluber ^sculapii. 



Elaphis Msculapii, Dum. et Bib. vol. vii. p. 278. 



Coluber flavescens, Sciimz, Europ. Faun. vol. ii. p. 44; Buon. Faun. 



Ital. (figured). 

 Coluber JEsculapii, Cuvier, Eeg. Anim. 



Desceiption. — The head is unusually narrow at the temples; 

 muzzle not very prominent; the anal plate divided; one 

 pre-ocular plate ; the body is prolonged, not very distinct 

 from the head; the dorsal scales are keeled only on the 

 hinder half of the body, and nowhere distinctly ; the ter- 

 minal scale of the tail is often channeled on the upper sur- 

 face ; the scales of the trunk form from twenty-one to 

 twenty-five longitudinal rows, those on the tail from six to 



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