56 Mr. Siiepvard's Description of a new British Species of Viper. 



COLUBER CiERULEUS. BLUE-BELLIED VIPER. 



Head, upper part light brown, marked with a dark brown spot 



in the form of a V ; under part, scales yellowish white, edged 



with dull red. 

 Irides red ; pupil brownish black. 

 Scales on the margin of the upper jaw yellowish white, edged with 



brown : jaws somewhat compressed sideways. 

 Back light brown, and a string of dark brown rhomboidal marks 



reaching from the head to the end of the tail. 

 Sides spotted with dark brown. 

 Belli/, the scuta light blue, spotted, particularly at the edges, with 



white : the first row of scales which margin the scuta is edged 



with white. 

 Length 21 inches 10 lines* ; head 10 lines : from the head to the 



anus 18^- inches ; and from the anus to the tip of the tail 2-j. 



inches. In the last division the first two inches on the under 



part are blue, edged with red, and the remaining half inch 



yellow, spotted with white. 



* I have since caught another that measures 25 inches in length. 



V. Description 



