APPENDIX. — SNAKES. 243 



temporal shield behind the suture. Uniform dusky blackish 

 ash. 



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



Description of the specimen. — Body moderate ; tail very short, 

 rather distinct from trunk, tapering; head small, narrow, with 

 rather elongate and pointed muzzle, not distinct from neck ; eye 

 very small. Rostral shield small, with a slight groove in front 

 just reaching the surface of forehead ; anterior frontals small, 

 posterior ones very large, forming the upper anterior edge of 

 orbit, in direct contact with the second and third labial shields ; 

 vertical six-sided, as broad as long, with an obtuse angle in front 

 and an acute one behind, lateral edges short, nearly parallel ; 

 occipitals moderate ; superciliary small, and in this specimen it 

 is united with posterior ocular : this may prove a peculiar cha- 

 racter of the species. The loreal, which in the other species of 

 Rhabdosoma forms a separate shield together with the ante- 

 orbital, is here united with the posterior frontal; five upper labials, 

 the third and fourth coming into the orbit ; the fifth as large as 

 the two preceding together, and forming a suture with the occi- 

 pital shield, as in Rhabdion ; one large temporal shield, not in 

 contact with the shield behind the eye ; two very small nasals, 

 nostril between; medial lower labial small, the other labials 

 narrow ; two pairs of large chin-shields. Scales rather large, in 

 fifteen rows ; anal entire. Above uniform dusky blackish ash, the 

 edges of the scales in the lateral series and of the ventral plates 

 lighter. Teeth equal, smooth. Length of cleft of mouth |" ; 

 length of tail |" ; total length 12". 



Page 13. Add : 6 a. Rhabdion, Dum. ^ Bibr. 



Two pairs of frontal shields, front pair smaller than the hinder 

 one ; rostral rather small ; one nasal, pierced by the nostril ; an- 

 terior ocidar united with the loreal ; one posterior ocular. Scales 

 smooth, rounded behind, in fifteen rows ; anal entire ; subcaudals 

 two-rowed. Teeth equal, smooth. Celebes. 



Rhabdion, sp., Dum. Sf Bibr. vii. p. 1 15. 



1. Rhabdion forsteni. 



Rhabdion forsteni, Dum. Sf Bibr. p. 116. 



Upper labials six, the fifth largest. Uniform dusky blackish 

 ash. 



a. Adult. Celebes. From Mr. Frank's Collection, as Calamaria 



conica. 



b. Half-grown. Celebes. From M. Parzudaki's Collection, 



M 2 



