4. PYTiioN. 87 



oculars ; a series of suboculars separating the eye from the labials ; 

 tliirtcen to fifteen upper labials, Iwo anterior deeply pitted ; four or 

 live of the i)osterior lower labials feebly pitted. Scales in 81 to 93 

 rows. Yentrals 2GU-28G ; anal entire or divided ; subcaudals 

 63-77. Pale brown above, with dark brown, black-edged, more or 

 less sinuous cross bars, which are usually connected by a continuous 

 or interrupted sinuous dark £trii)e running along each side of the 

 back; sides with large spots, and finely dotted with black ; a large 

 triangular dark brown blotch occupies the top of the head, bordered 

 on each side by a light stripe beginning at the end of the snout, 

 above the nostril, and passing above the eye ; a dark ctripe on each 

 side of the head and a dark subtriangular blotch below the eye : 

 upper surface of tail with a light stripe between two black ones ; 

 belly spotted and dotted with dark brow^n. 



Total length 41UU millim. ; tail 4G0. Said to grow to 7 metres 

 (23 feet). 



Tropical and South Africa. 



a. Ad. (Sc. 91 ; V. 273 ; Gambia. Lord Derby [P.]. 



C. 64). 

 h. \> (Sc. 93; V. 27G; Gold Coast. Mr. Rich[C.]. 



C. 76). 



c. Yg. (Sc. 85 ; V. 270 ; Ashantee. Leyden Mus. 

 C. G3). 



d. Yg. (Sc. 85 ; V. 275 ; Fantee. 

 C. 67). 



e. Ad., head onlv. South of Chartmini. Consul Petherick [C.]. 



f. Ad., stil'd. - Port Natal. Sir A. Smith [P.I. 

 '(J. Ilgi-. (Sc. 89 ; Y. 269 ; i' J. Melrose, Esq. [P.]. 



C.72). 



h. Ilgr. (Sc. 91 ; Y. 280 ; ? Zoolog. Society. 



C. 6G). 

 i. Ad., skel. W. Africa. Zoolog. Societv. 



k. Ad., skull. S. .Vfrica. Sir A. Smith [P.]. 



/. TIgr., skuU. Senegal. 



6. Python molurus. 



Russell, Ind. Serp. i. pis. xxii.-xxiv. & xxxix. (1790). 



Coluber mulurus, Linn. S. N. i. p. 387 (1766). 



Boa ordinata, SchicuL Hist. Amph. ii. p. 260 (1801), and BenJcschr. 



Ak. Mimch. vii. 1821, p. 122. 



cinerea, Schneid. II. cc. pp. 270, 121. 



castane<a, Schneid. U. cc. pp. 272, 121. 



albicans, Sclmeid. II. cc. pp. 274, 121. 



orbiculata, Schneid. II. cc. pp. 276, 122. 



Pytlion bora, Band. Rept. v. p. 236 (1803). 

 — — tigi'is. Baud. t. c. p. 241, ])1. Ixiv. 



ordiuatus, Baud. t. c. p. 252. 



bivittatus, part., Schl-'g. Fhys. Serp. iii. p. 403, pl. xv. figs. 1-4 



(1837). 

 molurus, Gray, Zool. Misc. p. 44 (1842) ; Biun. S)- Bibr. vi. 



p. 417 (1844); Gray, Cat. p. 88 (1849); Giinth. liepf. Brit. Ind. 



p. 331 (1864) ; Jan, Icon. Gen. p. 90, 1. 8, pl. ii. (1^64) ; Stoliezka, 



