A yieiv genus of Serpents, Sfc, ISi 



Sp. II. ACONTIAS ATRO-FUSCUS. 



Blackish brown x\contias. 



Vulgarly called Highland Moccason, As I have already 

 mentioned, different names are given to the same animal, so 

 the. present species is also called copper-head and pilot — while 

 these names are given also to other poisonous snakes. 



Caput ovatum depressum. Apertura inter oculos et nares 

 ill utroque latere. Scuta in vertice prolongata novem ; poste- 

 rior pars capitis squamis hexagonis non carinatis tecta. Supra, 

 colore nigro cum maculis atrofuscis variegato. Abdomine albo 

 cum nigris maculis. Cauda nigra. 



Telis veneniferis perforatis conspicuis quatuor. 

 Scutis abdominalibus 133. 

 Scutis subcaudalibus ad basem 25. 

 Scutellis sub apicem caudae 18. 

 Squamis dorsalibus ovatis carinatis com duobus punctis ad 

 basem. 



Total length - _ ._ » 25 inches.- 



Tail .----. 3| 



Head If, of which the large folates cover f 



Breadth of the head - - - - l| 

 Diameter of the neck - - • ^j 



Anus transversal simple. 

 Tongue long, slender, and forked. 

 Circumference of the thickest part of the body 4| inch» 

 The thickness of the body diminishes abruptly at the tail, 

 which is short, cylindrical, slender, and terminates in a small, 

 homy point; 



The form of the head is pretty much the same as that of the 

 pr^eceding species : it is also covered with the same number 

 of plates, and, in figure and arrangement, similar to those that 

 cover the head of the Lencostoma; but the small scales, which 

 cover the back part of the head, are of an irregular hexagonal 



