Echis Coloratus, Giinther, in Africa. 421 



Glinther described the colour of the type as " greyish, with 

 large pinkish spots on the upperside ; they are rounded on 

 the front part of the body, but more irregular and broken up 

 on the posterior. Lower parts whitish, speckled and powdered 

 with greyish." 



Mr. MacAlister's two specimens present slight variations 

 from the type, and these are brought out in the two accom- 

 panying figures of the front of the snout of (a) the type and (b) 

 of one of the individuals from the Eastern Desert. 



Echis coloratus. 



In the type of E. coloratus the rostral is a dome-shaped 

 shield, whereas in the Egyptian specimens it is more or less 

 quadrangular. The form of this shield, however, is doubtless 

 subject to much variation, depending on the number and 

 disposition of the shields around it. In the Midian viper one 

 infranasal intervenes between the nasal and the rostral, and 

 behind it lie two other shields, one above the other, the upper- 

 most in contact with the nasal and the one below it resting on 

 the rostral and on the first labial. The internal infranasals 

 are separated from each other in the mesial line by two small 

 scales resting on the rostral. The supranasals are broadly 

 excluded from the rostral by the foregoing two scales and by 

 the first infranasal. In fig. b only one infranasal rests on 

 the rostral, but behind it another infranasal exists between 

 the nasal and front labial without being in any way in contact 

 with the rostral. In this individual the equivalent of the 

 second suprarostral of the type seems to have fused with the 

 rostral and with the front labial, and in so doing to have 

 given greater transverse breadth to the former shield and 

 greater height to the latter. These variations in no way 

 connect the vipers presenting them with E. carinatus. 



In the type of E. coloratus the supranasals are more or less 

 irregular in form, widely separated from the rostral by the 

 internal infranasals and by the median pair of scales which 

 lie between the latter shields ; but in fig. b (Eastern Desert 

 viper) the right supranasal is prolonged down to the rostral on 



