COLUBER RICCIOLI. 231 



greenish grey, sometimes with a red-brown tinge ; on the 

 anterior portion of the back and sides are rounded brown 

 spots, edged with pale yellow, forming one of the distinctive 

 characters of the species; around the eye is an inter- 

 rupted border of light yellow, arising from the pre-ocular 

 and post-ocular plates being of that colour. 



Entire length, about 3 feet 6 inches. 



Inhabits Dalmatia, and was obtained in Greece by the 

 French Scientific Expedition. Said to be a native also 

 of Persia. 



Coluber Riccioli. 



Coluber Riccioli, Sciiinz, Eiirop. Faun. vol. ii. p. 43 ; Buon. Faun. 



Ital. (figured). 

 Coluber rubens, Gachet, Bullet. See. Linn. Bordeaux, iii. p. 255. 



Desckiption-. — Head distinct from the body ; nostrils situ- 

 ated at the junction of the nasal plates ; two post-ocular 

 plates, those above the eyes projecting considerably over 

 and in front of them ; the scales of the body are polished, 

 obscurely hexagonal, and without any trace of a keel; 

 there is a faint appearance of a ridge along the back ; ventral 

 plates, 184 ; subcaudal, sixty-four pairs ; these numbers 

 are more constant than is usual; the back is grey or 

 olive, with a reddish tinge, with two contiguous rows of 

 alternate dusky spots edged with black, often confluent ; 

 along the side runs an indistinct dusky line, beginning at 

 a long curved black spot on the side of the neck ; above 

 and below this line a reddish tint prevails, caused by 

 numerous rose-coloured specks upon the scales of that 

 region, some of which are edged with white ; the lower 

 portions of the flanks are lighter than the upper ; the belly 

 is clear, canaiy-yellow, with two wide, longitudinal groups 

 of black angular spots, some contiguous, others separate ; 

 another similar group runs between these from the throat 



