in the Collection of the British Museum. 93 



tact with the postoculars. Two pairs of chin-shields, the pos- 

 terior of which are much longer than the anterior, and divergent. 

 Ventrals 197; subcaudals 102. 



The upper parts, and from the middle of the length of the 

 trunk the lower ones, are brownish black ; anterior part of the 

 belly yellow ; some scales of the vertebral series of the foremost 

 part of the trunk brownish yellow. The two outer series of 

 scales of the anterior half of the trunk yellowish ; but a series 

 of irregular black blotches runs along the lower part of the 

 sides, to the point where the dark colour becomes generally 

 predominant. 



We have received one example of this interesting snake from 

 Dr. Bleeker's collection as Leptophis olivaceus; it comes from 

 Manado, and is 78 inches long, the length of the tail being 

 20 inches, and that of the head 1£ inch. 



Coluber (Lielaphis) batjanensis. PI. II. fig. A. 



Body and tail moderately elongate, but slightly compressed. 

 Head depressed; eye small. Rostral shield broader than high, 

 reaching to the upper surface of the head ; anterior frontals not 

 quite one-third as large as the posterior; vertical pentagonal, 

 longer than broad, its lateral edges being rather shorter than 

 the anterior. Occipitals as long as the vertical and posterior 

 frontals together, slightly divergent behind. Nostril rather 

 wide, dividing the two nasals. Loreal longer than high, half as 

 large as the single anteocular, which extends upwards just to 

 the upper surface of the head ; two postoculars ; eight upper 

 labials, the third, fourth, and fifth entering the orbit ; tempo- 

 rals 2 + 2 + 3. Scales short, rounded, without apical groove, 

 smooth, in seventeen series. Ventral shields 236; anal entire; 

 subcaudals 78. Each maxillary with about twelve teeth, sub- 

 equal in length. 



Upper parts brownish black ; head brownish olive ; anterior 

 part of the trunk with rather indistinct triangular reddish spots 

 along each side, their point being directed upwards; each scale 

 of the outer series with a small reddish spot near the apex. 

 Ventral shields brownish yellow, with the lateral corners black. 



Total length 61 inches ; tail 12 inches. 



Spilotes megalolepis. 



As Spilotes Salvini differs from S. variabilis in having much 

 smaller scales, so the present species is distinguished by very 

 large scales ; they form fourteen series only, those of the outer 

 series being very small, whilst all the others are very large, 

 lanceolate, and provided with a strong, broad keel ; the largest 

 of the scales are as large as, or larger than, an occipital shield. 



