SNAKES. ' 143 



of head regular, elongate ; scales very narrow, in fifteen or 

 twenty-one rows ; ventral plates generally with two keels, and 

 rising on the sides ; subcaudals two-rowed. 



Ahaetulla, Gray, Syn. p. 16. Leptophis, Bell, Zool. Joum. 

 1825, p. 329. Deudrophis, Schlegel, Essai, ii. p. 220; Cuv. 

 Regne Animal. 



Synopsis of the Genera. 



1. Bucephalus. Ventral plates without keels; head thick; 



eyes very large. 



2. Hapsidophrys. Ventral plates with keels; head thick; 



eyes large. 



3. Chrysopelea. Ventral plates very strongly keeled. 



4. Dendrophis. Ventral plates slightly keeled ; a vertebral 



series of larger polygonal scales. 



5. Ah^tulla. Ventral plates slightly keeled; no vertebral 



series of larger scales ; head elongated, with flat crown. 



I. Bucephalus, Smith. 



Body and tail elongate and slender, belly rather rounded on 

 the sides ; head high, subquadrangular, rather short, very distinct 

 from neck ; eyes excessively large, pupil round ; one loreal, one 

 anterior, three posterior oculars, seven upper labials. Scales elon- 

 gated, very narrow, with strong, eccentric keels, those on the 

 medial row nearly equal to the others ; ventral plates without 

 keels; subcaudal plates two-rowed, some entire. Posterior max- 

 illary teeth longest and furrowed, the anterior ones scarce, equal 

 in length. Africa. 



Bucephalus, Smith, Zool. Joum. 1829 ; Dum. Sf Bibr. vii. 

 p. 875. Dendrophis, sp., Schleg. Ess. ii. p. 238. Dispholidus, 

 Duvernoy, Ann. Sc. Nat. 1833. 



1. Bucephalus capensis. 



Thunberg, Voy. Afr., Asie et Japon. p. 75 ; Lichtenst. Reise, i. 

 p. 257. Bucephalus typicus, B. Bellii, B. gutturalis, and B. jar- 

 dinii. Smith, Zool. Joum. 1829, p. 441. Bucephalus capensis et 

 B. viridis. Smith, III. of the Zool. of S. Afr., sine pag. pi. 3 & 

 pi. 10-13*. Dispholidus lalandii, Duvernoy, Ann. Sc. Nat. xxvi. 

 p. 150, XXX. p. 24. pi. 3 ; Cuv. Reg. Anim. III. pi. 29. Dendro- 



* Dr. Smith, in the * Illustrations,' reduces all his previous species to 

 two, which I am inclined to consider varieties. 



