﻿210 COLUBRID.E 



anterior half of the frontal shield and shields on the 

 snout edged with dark brown ; a dark streak, some- 

 times broken up into small spots, on the temporal 

 region ; yellow spots on the pre- and post-oculars ; 

 lips brown, with large, yellow, black-edged spots, or 

 yellow with brown spots ; chin with three brown 

 longitudinal streaks. Back with a vertebral series of 

 large roundish dark spots or narrow cross-bars ; 

 small spots on the sides, these sometimes forming 

 longitudinal series or accompanied by yellowish streaks 

 or dots ; these markings often confluent into three 

 longitudinal streaks on the tail. Belly pale brownish, 

 greyish, or reddish, with numerous pale spots, some- 

 times with a dark brown line on each side. The 

 adult is greyish, reddish-brown, or olive above. Some 

 specimens preserve more or less the markings of the 

 young, and the dark dorsal markings (Plate XI.) may 

 be edged with yellowish and ocellar in appearance 

 (var. insignituSy Geoffroy) ; the belly is yellowish, with 

 small dark spots which usually form longitudinal 

 series, and may be confluent into streaks. A variety 

 common in Dalmatia {neumayeri, Fitzinger) is brown 

 or olive above, without spots, sides with a bluish- 

 grey lateral band, the scales on which are edged with 

 black, the belly uniform yellow. Other specimens 

 are brown or reddish, with light edges to the scales 

 on the sides, or with yellowish lateral lines, or dark 

 olive or dark brown above and black on the sides, 

 each scale with a yellowish central spot ; in the last- 



