242 APPENDIX. — REPTILES. 



species of that genus ; and Dumeril's description of Elaps de- 

 cussatus being in accordance with our specimen, and both speci- 

 mens coming from the North-western part of South America, 

 both species may prove to be identical, provided Elaps decussatus 

 has not the dentition of Elaps. 



Body elongate, cylindrical ; head rather narrow, of equal w idth, 

 not distinct from neck ; tail rather short, not distinct from trunk, 

 ending in a blunt conical scale ; muzzle rounded, blunt ; eye 

 small. Rostral shield moderate, rounded, reaching to the surface 

 of forehead, with an obtuse angle behind and a transverse groove 

 beneath ; anterior frontals much smaller than posterior ones ; 

 vertical shield five-sided, broader than long, with a rather convex 

 front-side, with the lateral sides shortest and convergent, and 

 with a right angle behind ; occipitals moderate, rounded behind ; 

 superciliary small ; nostril between two shields ; one anterior 

 ocular, smaller than posterior nasal, and far distant from vertical 

 shield ; one semilunar posterior ocular in contact with a single 

 temporal shield, behind which are three other ones ; six upper 

 labials, the third and fourth of which come into the orbit ; the 

 first four are nearly equal in size, the fifth as large as the two 

 preceding together, the sixth equal to the fifth ; the first pair of 

 lower labials form together a suture behind the medial one ; one 

 pair of chin-shields behind. Scales moderate, in fifteen rows, 

 those of the vertebral series somewhat irregular on the hinder 

 part of the body ; anal entire ; subcaudals two-rowed. Upper 

 parts of head black, with a yellow narrow band across the front 

 edge of the posterior frontals ; another band across the occiput ; 

 under side of the head, two anterior labials and temple yellow. 

 Ground-colour of trunk orange-coloured, but the black rings 

 encircling the trunk are so confluent on the back, as nearly to 

 suppress the yellow rings ; the latter are formed by scales, which 

 have a black central streak and a black tip, and only yellow 

 outer edges ; moreover each black band is crossed by another 

 jellow variegated narrov*^ band, which does not extend on the 

 belly. On the belly the black and yellow bands are more equal, 

 each occupying three or four ventral plates. The ground-colour 

 of the tail is bright red, and the black rings are smaller. There 

 are on each side of the upper jaw seven strongly-curved small 

 teeth of nearly equal length, none of w hich are grooved. Length 

 of cleft of mouth |" ; length of tail 2" ; total length 15". 



Page 13. Add to Rhabdosoma a third new species, 



8, Rhabdosoma oxycephalum. 



Upper labials five, the third and fourth coming into the orbit ; 

 the fifth forming a long suture with the occipital shield; one 



