196 REPTILES. 



loreal, one anterior, two posterior oculai's*. Scales smooth, 

 rhomboid, much imbricate, in seventeen or twenty-three rows, 

 those of the vertebral line larger ; anal entire ; subcaudals two- 

 rowed. Anterior teeth of upper jaw much longer ; palatine 

 teeth of equal length. Africa. 



Alopecion, Dum. Sf Bibr. vii. p. 416. 



1. Alopecion ANNULIFER- 

 Dum. 4' Bibr. I. c. 



Scales in twenty-three rows. Africa ? 



2. Alopecion fasciatum. 



Scales in seventeen rows ; on each side a series of black erect 

 cross bands. 



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



Description of the specimen. — Body rather elongate, com- 

 pressed ; tail short, not very distinct from trunk, tapering ; head 

 moderate, ovoid, rather distinct from neck, with rounded crown, 

 and moderate, broad, rounded muzzle ; eye moderate, pupil 

 elliptical. Rostral shield broader than high, reaching the sur- 

 face of snout, rounded behind ; frontals moderate, anterior ones 

 rather small ; vertical broader than long, much in contact with 

 ocular, nearly triangular with convex outer edges, and a right 

 angle behind ; occipitals moderate, rounded and forked behind, 

 much bent down on the sides, in contact with both oculars; 

 superciliary small ; two posterior oculars ; anterior one raised 

 above the surface of crown. Loreal large ; two nasals, anterior 

 one largest, nostril between ; seven upper labials, third forming 

 the lower half of anterior edge of eye ; fourth and fifth reaching 

 the lower edge ; four or five moderate temporal shields, foremost 

 in contact with lower ocular ; terminal shield of lower jaw tri- 

 angular elongate, sharply pointed behind ; first pair of lower 

 labials forming together a long suture behind the terminal one ; 

 three pairs of chin-shields, front pair largest. Scales moderate, 

 much imbricate, in not very oblique rows, those of the vertebral 

 line rather larger and broader, those of the sides narrow ; seven- 

 teen longitudinal row s ; anal entire ; subcaudals two-rowed. 

 Anterior longer teeth of the upper jaw separated from the hinder 

 ones by an interspace ; those of lower jaw in a continuous series ; 

 anterior ones longest. Above reddish brown, beneath paler; 

 head uniform black ; on each side a series of thirty-four black 



* In the characters of the genus, Dumeril states two posterior ocu- 

 lars, in the description of his only species three. 



