SNAKES. 109 



hinder part of the body and the tail salmon-coloured ; beneath 

 sanguineous. Scales smooth, in seventeen rows ; posterior oculars 

 two. 



a, b. Adult. Texas. From Mr. Brandt's Collection. Both spe- 

 cimens as Coluber erythrog aster, Shaw. 



c. Half-grown. Mexico. From H. Finck's Collection. With 

 some obsolete black spots ; only fifteen rows of scales. 



4. CORYPHODON MARGARITIFERUS. 



Above and beneath blackish olive ; each scale with a black 

 centre and a pearl-coloured speck at the upper edge ; a darker 

 collar. Scales smooth, in nineteen rows. 



a. West Africa. From Mr. Rich's Collection. 



Description of the specimen. — Habit like that of Coronella 

 austriaca ; head moderate, with flat crown, rather obtuse snout 

 and moderate eye. Rostral shield broader than high, just reaching 

 the surface of head ; anterior frontals rather obtuse in front, 

 broader behind ; posterior ones not much longer, bent down on 

 the sides ; vertical five-sided, broad, but longer than broad, with 

 a right angle behind ; occipitals moderate, rounded behind ; an- 

 terior ocular raised on the surface of crown, but not reaching the 

 vertical ; two posterior oculars ; one square loreal ; two nasals, 

 nostril between ; eight upper labials, fourth and fifth forming 

 the lower edge of orbit ; one large temporal shield in contact 

 with both hinder oculars, five smaller ones behind. Scales 

 smooth, rhomboid, in nineteen rows ; anal bifid. Maxillary 

 teeth gradually longer and larger behind, not grooved. Blackish 

 olive, nearly black, each scale black at the base, with a minute 

 pearl-coloured speck at the upper edge ; spots more conspicuous 

 anteriorly; neck with a broad, darker, lighter-edged collar. 

 Lower jaw and throat yellowish, belly blackish olive. In the 

 stomach I found a half-digested mouse. Length of cleft of 

 mouth f"; length of tail 2|"; total length 16". 



5. CoRYPHODON FASCIOLATUS. 



Russell, Ind. Serp. i. t. 21. Coluber fasciolatus, Shaw, Zool. 

 p. 528 ; Cantor, Catal. p. 72. 



Scales smooth, in twenty-three rows ; two anterior, two pos- 

 terior oculars ; rostral rather protruding. Yellowish olive, with 

 equidistant, narrow, white and brown variegated cross bands, 

 more conspicuous on the anterior part of body ; beneath uniform 

 yellowish. 



a. Adult. Madras. Presented by J. C. Jerdon, Esq. 



