170 Mr. G. A. Boulenger on a 



long as the suture between the paiietals ; r.o prseocular. 

 Body much elongate, of equal thickness thiuughout. Scales 

 in thirteen rows. Ventral plates '^li ; subcaudals 22. 

 Plumbeous ; back with longitudinal hues of light dots ; upper 

 lip yellowish (in spirit) ; side of the anterior fourth of the 

 body witli a series of large yeliowisli spots ; a few other sucli 

 spots on the tail and a cross band of the same colour above 

 the vent. 



Total length 265 millim, ; diameter of body 5. 



A single specimen was obtained on tlie Rejang River, Sara- 

 wak, and presented to the Natural-History Museum by Brooke 

 Low, Esq. 



I seize this opportunity to observe that Elajyhis Grahowskj/i, 

 Fischer, from S.E. Borneo, of which the type specimens are 

 now in the Museum, is identical with E. twniurun, Cope. 

 The characters pointed out by Dr. Fischer as distinguishing 

 his new species from E. tcoiiurus, with wliich he correctly 

 compares it, are individual variations. I will merely remark 

 that we have specimens from Pekin with nine or even ten 

 upper labials. Tlie range of this snake, originally described 

 from Ningpo and Siam, is an exceptionally extensive one. 

 In addition to the Bornean specimens just mentioned the 

 species is represented in the Natural-History Museum from 

 the following localities : — Cliikiang {Fortune)^ Shanghai 

 {Sicinhoe), Pekin {Bushel!) y Darjeeling {Jerdon)^ and Pajo, 

 Sumatra {Bock). 



XXII. — On a new Family of Pleurodiran Turtles. 

 By Ct. a. Boulengek. 



A RECENT number of the ' Proceedings of the Linnean Society 

 of New South Wales ' (2nd ser. vol. i. 1886} contains the 

 description, by Mr. E. P. Ramsay, of a new freshwater turtle 

 from the Fly River, New Guinea, which is one of the most 

 striking discoveries made in recent herpetology during the 

 past twenty years. Unfortunately the author does not dwell 

 sufficiently upon the systematic position of his new genus, to 

 which the name Carettochelys is given ; and his comparison 

 with Emyda and his remark that it appears to be a link 

 between the river- and the sea-turtles are merely based on 



