246 Mr. J. EH. Gray on three new Genera and Species of Snakes. 
XXVII.— Description of three new Genera and Species of Snakes. 
By J. E. Gray, Esq. 
THE greater part of the genera of innocuous Colubrine Snakes 
have only a small number of shields on the sides of the lips, the 
eyes being generally placed over the fourth, or the suture between 
the fourth and fifth upper labial shields. In the very long- 
headed genera, as Dryophis, the eye is over the fifth, and in one 
species, D. Catesbyi, it is over the suture between the fifth and 
sixth. Periops of Wagler and Chilolepis of Fitzinger, exhibit 
the greatest number of these shields amongst the snakes hitherto 
recorded; the eyes in them are placed over the fifth, sixth and 
seventh shields, which are of small size. In the two general am 
about to notice the shields are large, and the eye is placed over 
the suture between the sixth and seventh shields. 
1. Cynoruis.—Head moderate, elongate, rather compressed 
on the sides; crown flat, shielded, frontal shields four, anterior 
small between the nasals, hinder larger, bent down on the sides ; 
vertebral elongate, narrower behind; superciliary shield narrow 
in front, wider behind and bent down on the outer side; occi- 
pital shields large, elongate, subtrigonal ; nostrils rather large, 
lateral, between two shields, the hinder rather the largest ; loreal 
shields moderate; one very large, squarish, five-sided, anterior 
and a small posterior ocular ; temple with elongate shields, the 
upper one linear, oblique, margining the occipital ; rostral shield 
rather broad and high, subtrigonal, convex ; upper labial shields 
rather large, the five front ones rather narrow and high, the sixth 
and seventh broader, placed under and forming the lower mar- 
gin of the orbit, the eighth, ninth and tenth rather large, subtri- 
gonal, with the temporal shield above them ; the lower rostral 
small, the first, second, third and fourth lower labial narrow, the 
fifth and sixth much larger and broader, the hinder ones rather 
narrow; chin shield two pair, elongate, strap-shaped. Eyes 
rather large, pupil round. Body elongate, compressed ; back 
rounded; belly flattened ; scales lanceolate, closely imbricate, 
smooth, the lower series rather broadest; ventral shield rather 
broad, flat m the middle, and rather angulariy bent up on the 
sides. Tail rather short, slender, conical, tapermg; subcaudal 
plates two-rowed, flat on the inner and somewhat bent up on the 
outer sides. 
This snake has somewhat the external appearance of a small 
Boa. 
Cynophis bistrigatus.—Y ellow, rather paler beneath ; a narrow 
erect streak under the eyes on the suture of the sixth and seventh, 
and an oblique one from the back edge of the eyes to the suture 
of the eighth and ninth upper labial, a short broad streak on each 
