NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 133 



pale lateral band crossed by vertical brown bars. Dark spot on nape and 

 middle of occips., which are bordered all round with pale and have a pair 

 pale spots in middle (Tropidonotus style.) Superciliar. with a posterior bor- 

 der. Tail V^ 1^^\ Total 36^^ 3'^^ 



XENODON Boie. 

 A review of the species of this genus is given by Giinther in Ann. Mag. N. 

 ' History, 1863, 353, in which he enumerates six species. He omits the East 

 Indian species, and places them in Tropidonotus in his volume on the Reptiles 

 of British India, — an arrangement which I had long thought necessary, on ac- 

 count of the hypapophyses of the posterior vertebras of the latter (vide Proc. 

 Acad. 1864). Jan places Liophis bicinctus of Dum. Bibr. with Xenodon 

 gi g a s D. B., a closer approximation to nature than any other arrangement. 

 He, however, regards them as a genus distinct from Xenodon, the truth of 

 which position I doubt, and refer them both to Xenodon. The species of the 

 latter genus will then be as follows, two not previously known being added: 



I. An orbital ring of scales. 

 X.bicinctus. X.gigas Dum. Bibr. 



II. One labial entering the orbit. 

 X. irregularis Gthr. 



III. Two labials entering orbit, 

 o. Eight superior labials. 



/?. Anal bifid. 

 X. severusL. X. neovidii Gthr. 



jiff. Anal entire. 

 X. colubrinus Gthr. X. suspectus Cope, sp. nov. X.angustiros- 

 tr is* Peters. 



rtA. Seven superior labials. 

 X. rhabdocephalus Boie. 



I have before me, of X. g i g a s two sp., X. severus five sp., X. neo- 

 vidii one sp., X. colubrinus three sp., X. suspectus one sp., X. 

 angustirostris four sp. 



Xenodon suspectus Cope. 



Scales in nineteen longitudinal rows, in transverse series and very imbri- 

 cate. Body rather slender, compressed, head distinct ovate, plane in profile, 

 the muzzle not depressed or arched. End of muzzle not projecting; eye 

 large, contained 1^ times in length muzzle, and If in interorbital width. 



Prenasal more elevated than postnasal ; loreal large, higher than long. 

 Two postoculars, the superior considerably more elevated, in contact with one 

 temporal, which is higher than long; sixth and seventh labials higher than 

 long, the seventh not reaching postoculars, separated from occipital by two 

 temporals. Last labial a little longer than high. Supraorbitals each a tri- 

 angle truncate anteriorly. Frontal nearly long as broad, subtriangular, the 

 occipital sutures being very short. Occipitals very short, subtriangular, sides 

 concave, width equal common suture. Inferior labials 9 (one less than other 

 species) ; genials, the pairs short, equal. Gastrosteges 134, urosteges 35. 



Color: above a bright dark olive, with fourteen blackish cross-bars con- 

 tracted in the middle, as wide as their interspaces ; the ground color appears 

 in the middles of these bars, reducing them to skeletons. Sides of belly 

 black, with irregular bright yellow spots, most distinct on the end of every 

 other scutum. Top of head with ground like the back, and, like it, thickly 

 covered with black specks. Sides of head and of muzzle black, speckled 



* Two specimens of this species are in the museum of the Academy, presented by Drs. 

 Gallaer and Le Conte. Two other specimens, of unknown locality, are to be referred to the 

 same. 



1868.] 



