732 



AFRICAN IJEPTILES AND 1?ATI^^CIIIANS STI-].TNEG1:R. 



ever, bu( ;is (lie iii;irkiii^s on (op oC (lie lieud are Jess (li.sdnct in the 

 larmier of our speeiinens than in tli<' smaller one, it is possible that they 

 disapi)ear by increasin*;- ;ii>e. Tlie sides of the head in botli speeiinens 

 are e<iually stroniily marked, as foiloAvs: Labials pure wliite, Avith a few 

 miiuite black speeks near the commissure and a well-dedned black Hue 

 alon^- the upper edi;e of the supralabials, bordering;- below a eliestnut- 

 brown transo<'ular band, and nolii;]it marks on ])reoeularorposto(;ulars. 

 To]) of head grayish brown, with several \vell-delined light clay-colored 

 marks, mirrowly outlined in black in the young sjx'cimen: thus the 

 posterior half and the anterior lateral corners of the frontal are marked 

 in this manner, joining behind a curved line occupying the exterior and 

 posterior border of the supralabials; a (jj-shaped tigure crosses the 

 l)arietals, while a narrower and fainter line joins the frontal with the 

 rostral covering the internasal and the prefrontal sutures. 



The young specimen differs from the old one in the coloration of the 

 back, the ground color being more ashy and the markings more ferru- 

 ginous. The median scale row is of the latter color, forming a narro\v 

 line down the entire length of the back, the inner corners of the lateral 

 spots almost touching it and the outer edges of these in turn connected 

 with a similar line on the fourth outer scale row; each of the outer 

 three scale rows are also marked with a darker brown line; the lateral 

 lines appear to break up into spots on the posterior third of the body 

 and to disappear entirely on the tail. 



Of minor differences between Peters' description of the type and our 

 specimens may be mentioned that in these the loreal is percei>tibly 

 longer than the nasals together. 



Both our specimens have nine supralabials, fifth and sixth in contact 

 with the eye; the younger specimen has 2+3-f 3 temporals, the older 

 one 1+24-2, l)ut the upper ones are large ami pLainly the result of tlie 

 fusion of two plates; the second pair of geneials are very elongate in 

 both specimens, exceedingly so in the larger one. 



D. S. National Miiseuin imniluM'. i Z.^^^ 



20095 15 



20096 15 



Gastro- 



StPgl'S. 



14:t 

 155 



1/1 

 1/1 



Uro- 



Leiigtli 



of body 



and liead. 



Pairs: 

 I'.'O 

 102 



?/( m. 

 420 

 22(1 



Length 

 of tail. 



mm. 

 280 

 105 



Our specimens agree, as it will be seen, perfectly with the one col- 

 lected at Arusha, at tlie base of KilimaN jaro, by Dr. (1. A. Fischer, and 

 described, as well as figured, by Dr. .1. (i. Fischer (.lahrb. Hamburg. 

 Wiss. Anst., I, 1SS4, ]>. 13. i»l. i. tig. 4), which has 1-14 gastrosteges, | 

 anal, and 100 urosteges. This sjiecimen seems to be somewhat larger 

 than our largest, and the top of the head api)ears to be uniformly 

 colored as the type; the spots on the labials are larger than in ours. 



