80 



REPTILES. 



i. Species allied to T. auriculatus. 



23. Tropidonotus auriculatus. 



Scales in seventeen rows ; upper labials eight, third, fourth 

 and fifth touching the eye ; anterior frontals rather obtuse in 

 front. Above brown, with an obsolete lighter dorsal stripe; a 

 broad yellow streak behind the eye to the angle of mouth ; 

 belly white, with three black longitudinal bands, the middle one 

 broadest. 

 a. Philippine Islands. From Mr. Cuming's Collection. 



Description. — Habit slender ; head short, thick, distinct from 

 neck ; eyes large ; rostral semicircular, hardly reaching the sur- 

 face of head ; anterior frontals subquadrangular, rather obtuse 

 in front ; posterior ones moderate ; vertical moderate, witli con- 

 vergent outer edges ; hinder ones forming an acute angle ; occi- 

 pitals large, spheroid ; two anterior and two posterior oculars, 

 one loreal, two nasals ; eight upper labials, third, fourth and 

 fifth coming into the orbit. Scales elongate, keeled, in seventeen 

 rows ; anal bifid. Posterior maxillary teeth longest, not grooved, 

 in a continuous series with the anterior ones. — Above brown, 

 with a lighter dorsal streak on the anterior part of body ; some 

 scales black-edged ; a yellow spot behind the eye, running ob- 

 liquely to the angle of mouth ; belly yellow, with a broad black 

 medial band from the breast to the anus ; on each side a narrower 

 black streak, from the throat to the anus ; tail beneath black, 

 each plate provided with a yellow spot, forming together a punc- 

 tated yellow medial line. Length of cleft of mouth f " ; length 

 of taiMr ; total length 18£". 



k. Species allied to T. vibakari. 



24. Tropidonotus vibakari. 



Tropidonotus vibakari, Boie, Isis, 1826, p. 207 ; Siehold, Faun. 

 Japon. Ophid. t. 5 ; Schleg. Ess. ii. p. 316; Dum. 8f Bibr. vii. 

 p. 5.95. 



Body and tail rather slender; head not distinct from neck. 

 Scales in nineteen rows ; upper labials seven, the third and fourth 

 touching the eye. Above uniform pale brown, without spots ; 

 on each side of neck a white, oblique, narrow streak ; belly pale, 

 with a lateral series of small black spots. 

 a, h. Adult. Japan. From the Leydcn Museum. 



5. Ischnognathus, Dum. Sf Bibr. 



Small Natricidce with teeth of equal length. Body and tail 

 rounded, of moderate length ; head short, narrow; nostril between 



