276 APPENDIX (2). — REPTILES. 



Ahastor ; in the system of the Erpetologie generale it is to be 

 placed in the family of the " Platyrhiniens," near Eurostus. 



33a. Elapocephalus, Giinther. 



Head indistinct, depressed; scales smooth, in fifteen rows; 

 shields of crown nine, regular; anterior pair of frontals not 

 separated by the nasals from the rostral ; one nasal, no loreal ; 

 one anterior, two posterior oculars. Anal and subcaudals bifid. 

 Two or three posterior maxillary teeth very long, strong, and 

 grooved. America. 



This genus differs from Abastor : 



Abastor. Elapocephalus. 



Scales in 19 rows. Scales in 15 rows. 



Teeth equal, smooth. Posterior teeth grooved. 



1. Elapocephalus t^niatus. 



Above with three black, broadly white-edged longitudinal 

 bands. 



a. Adult. America. Presented by the Zoological Society 

 (see Dr. Gray's Catal. p. 78). 



Description of the specimen. — Head with a remarkable simi- 

 larity of structure to Elaps; eyes very small; rostral shield 

 rather rounded behind, just reaching the surface of head; two 

 pairs of moderate frontals, the front pair of which is in direct 

 contact with the rostral shield, and not separated from it by the 

 nasals; vertical five-sided, with elongate hinder part, with an 

 acute posterior angle, with nearly parallel lateral edges, and with 

 all sides nearly equal in length. Superciliary moderate ; occipitals 

 rather large and elongate, and somewhat forked behind ; nasal 

 pierced by the nostril, without any cleft, and replacing the loreal 

 shield together with ante-ocular ; anterior ocular hardly reaching 

 the surface of crown ; two posterior oculars ; six upper labials, 

 the second and third of which form the lower edge of orbit, the 

 fourth, fifth and sixth being largest ; three temporal shields in 

 one single series, of nearly equal size, anterior one in contact 

 with both oculars. Scales quite smooth, polished, large, rounded 

 behind, in fifteen rows ; body with very broad back ; cleft of 

 mouth short ; series of maxillary teeth very short, three or four 

 smaller ones in front, and then two very large grooved teeth. 

 Crown and occiput brown ; third, fourth and fifth upper labial 

 shields yellowish ; a yellowish collar ; back with three black or 

 brown, white-edged longitudinal streaks ; belly and lower part 



