^'iS'ja!'] PKOCEEDINGH OF THE NATIOjSAL MUSEUM. 733 



Thelotornis kirtlandii (Hallow.). 



One specimen (Xo. 20097) from tlie Tana lliver. 



R hamphiophis rostratus (Peteks). 



An adnlt specimen (jNo 20111) from the Tana Kiver, Ijy Cbanler. The 

 specimen shows on the right side of tlie face the abnormality of having 

 the upper posterior angle of the lifth snpralabial separated as a large 

 subocular. 



DasypeltLs palmarum? 

 U. .S. >"atioi)al Miisouiii, Xo. 107.5."); Kiliiiia-Njnro; Dr. AV. L. AVibott cull. 



Dasypeltis abyssina? 

 U. .S. Niitiouiil .Museum, No. ItiToB; Kiliuia-Xjaro; Dr. W. L. .\bbott coll. 



There is such a confusion in the literature coucerning the species of 

 the genus DasypeHii^^ and the specimens before me agree so little 

 among themselves and with the published descriptions, representing 

 about half a dozen species or subspecies, that I have been unable to 

 name them to my own satisfaction. I have therefore selected the names 

 belonging to descriptions which come the nearest to them, adding a 

 query to each. The only other course would have been to make new 

 names, but as I have no doubt that some of the old names will be found 

 available as soon as some one with more material sliall have been able 

 to untangle the present .skein. But I will ask as a favor of my fellow 

 herpetologists that, if they ever quote the names heading these rennirks, 

 they Avill kindly not omit the question marks which I have added. 



No. 1G775 is much the larger of the two specimens before me; it is 

 of a uniform dark l)rownish olive above and yeHowish beneath; it lias 

 23 scale rows. This would make it easily I), palmnrum ((riinther, Cat. 

 Col. Sn. Br, Mus., ]). 142).* In addition, it has 3+4-|-5 temporals, the 

 first row scarcely longer than the others, second and third rows k<'eled. 

 The denticulation of the keels of the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth 

 lower lateral scale rows is very pronounced, the scales themselves be- 

 in^ very small and placed obliquely. The supralabials are quite high, 

 the fifth, for instance, being considerably higher than wide. The pari- 

 etals are very small, being only as long as the frontal. 



The other specimen (No. lG750)is much smaller; in fact, quite young. 

 The ground color is the same dark Inownish olive, i)erhaps a shade 

 more brown, and at first sight it appears to be uniform, but upon a 

 closer inspection it is found that there is a .series of darker spots on 

 the back separated by a jiale space, the markings closely resembling 

 those on the back of Sordelli's figure of R. scaler (Jan, Icon. Ophid., 



'Leavhifi out f>f consideration tlio 7?ac7aorf(>H uiornatns descTihad by Dumcril and 

 Bibron (Eri». Gen ., \ii, p. 498) liavinj^ 2.") scale rows and "la cariuc dcs t'cailles 

 dii bas dcs llancs . . tris-lbrte . . luais a peine deutelee." 



