^''I'tioT'] rROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM 727 



the lateral poitioii of the !nastioste,iies, uuitbnii olive inrayj below, yel- 

 lowish. Length of head from tip of snout to end of parietals, 14mm. 



The type and only specimen is somewhat damaged, hence the impos- 

 sibilit}^ of givinii' the number of gastrosteges and urosteges. Anal 

 single. 



Remarlcs. — Boulenger, in the first volume of the new Catalogue of 

 Snakes in the British Museum (1893, pp. 314-347), recognizes five species 

 of Simocephalns with which it is necessary to compare the new species. 

 Of these, two are at once easily excluded, S. capensis by its very short 

 parietals, and >S. .sti-iwphthaliHus by its extremely small eyes. From the 

 other three species the one here described is at once distinguished by 

 its three postoculars. 



This, however, is not the only character in Avhich it differs, as will be 

 shown by the following comparison: 



The outline of the head of S. chanleri, both in profile and seen from 

 above, is most like that of *S'. fjuirall (See Moquard, Bull. Soc. Philom., 

 (7) XI [on plate erroneously x] 1887, pi. ii, fig. 3), consequently not so 

 flattened and elongated as that of IS. poensk (see Moquard, torn, cit., pi. 

 i, fig. 2) or >8'. nijassce (Cat. Snakes Br. Mus. i, 1893, pi. xxiii, fig. 2). 

 The size, form, and sculpture of the dorsal scales of 8. guirali are 

 entirely different, the comi^arative smoothness of the extreme lateral 

 row, the elongation of the next one as well as the proportionally greater 

 size of the former and of the one next to the vertebral row being quite 

 characteristic, not to mention the oblique striation of the scales, which 

 is not seen at all in >V. ehanlcri. In the latter the prefrontals are also 

 comparatively smaller and the frontal larger. 



The island whence came the present species is situated not far from 

 the mouth of the Tana River, and is, I believe, the most northern local- 

 ity on the east coast of Africa in which any Simocephalus has been col- 

 lected. 



Boaedon geometricus (Schleg). 



Jan. Icon. Ophid., livr. 36, pi. iii. fig. 2 (1870). 



Boodon seychellensis QrH^TnKK, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (6) i, May, 1888, p. 330, pi. xviii, 



fig. c. 

 B. geometricus BorLKXCJEn, Auu. Mus. Genova (2) xii, 1892, p. 1-1. 



Dr. Abbott has sent home three specimens from the Seychelles, viz: 

 Nos. 1C733, 2044(>, and 20432, the latter being a comparatively young 

 S])ecimen, collected on the He Mahe in 1892. It is somewhat darker, 

 but otherwise colored like the larger specimens, the five dark lines on 

 the back being clearly visible in all. There is a fourth specimen in the 

 museum, collected by Col. Pike on Frigate Island, Seychelles, (So. 828G). 

 All four specimens have 23 scale rows. 



Boaedon lineatus Dum. & Binu. 

 Two specimens from the island of Lamu, collected by Denhardt, a 

 large one (No. 20131) and a young (No. 20130); the former has 27 scale 



