18 LEPTOPHIS AASTIVUS. 
Description. The head is much elongated, oval, narrow, and rather pointed in 
front, and covered with plates, of which the vertical is elongated, pentagonal, 
broadest in front and pointed behind. The superior orbital is oblong, quadrilateral, 
and projects slightly over the eye. The occipital plates are very large and 
irregularly pentagonal. The frontal plates are pentagonal, and narrow externally, 
where they descend to join a small, quadrilateral, loral plate. The anterior 
frontal are quadrilateral, with their posterior and external angles prolonged. ‘The 
rostral plate is semicircular, concave below and convex above. ‘The nasal plate is 
single on each side, regularly quadrilateral, and perforated in the centre for the 
nostril. There is one anterior orbital plate, large, quadrilateral, concave behind, 
and two smaller posterior orbital plates. The inferior margin of the orbit is 
completed by the third and fourth labial plates, which are six in number; the last 
is a parallelogram, and very large. 
The nostrils are large, and placed laterally. ‘The eyes are large; the pupil 
black, the iris golden. The neck is much contracted. ‘The body is greatly elon- 
gated, and covered with carinated scales above and on the sides; the two or 
three inferior rows only are smooth. The tail is very long, cylindrical, and 
pointed at the tip. 
Cotour. The colour of the whole animal above is golden-green, more or less 
bright, according to the age of the animal or season of the year; below it is a 
milky-white. 
Dimensions. Length of head, 10 lines; greatest breadth of head, 4 lines; length 
of body, 22 inches; length of tail, 12 inches; circumference of body, 1 inch. In 
the individual here described there were 160 abdominal plates and 140 sub-caudal 
bifid plates. 
Hasrrs. This beautiful snake is perfectly harmless and gentle, easily domesti- 
cated, and takes readily its food from the hand. Ihave seen it carried in the 
pocket, or twisted round the arm or neck as a plaything, without ever evincing 
