SNAKES. 49 



outline of forehead concave ; one loreal, one anterior, one pos- 

 terior ocular; two nasals, nostril between. Scales in nineteen 

 rows, smooth. Anal bifid. Teeth strong, equal ; posterior max- 

 illary tooth rather stronger, not grooved. Barbadoes. 



1. Hypsirhynchus ferox. 



Brownish grey, with a dorsal series of triangular brown spots. 

 a. Adult. Barbadoes. From Mr. Cuming's Collection. 



Description of the specimen. — Body moderate, rounded, shghtly 

 compressed towards the tail ; tail moderate, tampering, not very 

 distinct from trunk, triangular ; head not very distinct from 

 neck, rather narrow with elongate muzzle, pointed and raised 

 in front ; superciliaries likewise raised a])ove the level of crown. 

 Rostral shield five-sided with rounded corners, flat, obliquel)^ 

 covering the front of snout; anterior frontals small, forming 

 together an obtuse angle behind; posterior ones much larger, 

 slightly bent on the side ; vertical slender, more than twice 

 as long as broad, with convex outer edges and slightly rounded 

 behind; occipitals moderate, rounded behind; superciliaries 

 spheroid ; anterior ocular just reaching the surface of crown ; 

 one posterior ocular ; there is beneath the large posterior ocular 

 a second one, so small as to be hardly visible; one oblong 

 l;)real; two nasals, forming together a narrow shield, in the 

 centre pierced by the nostril. Eight upper labials, second much 

 longer than third; third, fourth and fifth forming nearly the 

 half of orbit ; one elongate temporal in front, not in contact with 

 the ocular, some smaller ones behind. Scales smooth, short, 

 rhomboid, in nineteen rows ; the anal, being bifid, exhibits more- 

 over another transverse streak, in appearance like the other suture, 

 but produced by the insertion of a muscle, without being a true 

 fold of the plate. All the teeth strong ; posterior maxillary tooth 

 separated from the anterior ones by an interval, but not longer, 

 not grooved; anterior teeth of lower jaw rather larger than the 

 remainder. Scales shining, polished. Brownish grey (without 

 epidermis grey) powdered with brown ; a dorsal series of rather 

 irregular, triangular, irregularly black- and white-edged spots ; 

 sides without spots ; crown of head with a brown medial streak, 

 and some other symmetrical marks ; a greyish-white band, pow- 

 dered with brown, from the back edge of eye to the side of throat. 

 Rostral, lower edge of upper labials, lower labials and skin, dark 

 brown; belly brownish yellow, minutely marbled with brown. 

 The ferocious physiognomy of the snake, produced by the pecu- 

 liar form of snout, in combination with the strong dentition, has 

 caused the denomination. Length of cleft of mouth |" ; length 

 of tail 5f " ; total length 29|". — This is the only snake known to 

 inhabit Barbadoes. 



