THE POISONOUS SNAKES OF INDIA. 155 



VIPESA LEBETINA -Tlie Levantine Viper. 



Identification. — The sublinguals touching 4 or 5 infralabials ; the 

 suboaudals divided ; and the absence of the large lateral spots on 

 the sides so typical of the last when occurring together, will suffice to 

 identify this from the rest of the group. 



Fie. 46. — Vipera lebetina (nat. size). 



Supplementary characters. — Supraocular well developed or broken 

 up into small shields. Nasal touches the rostral and the 1st suprala- 

 bial. Eye.—Biameter about equals its distance to the nostril, about 

 half its distance from the labial margin ; 2 or 3 rows of scales between 

 it and the supralabials. Ath supralabial the largest of the series. 



