SNAKES. 105 



Description. — Habit moderate; head rather broad, flat above, 

 with blunt, rounded muzzle ; eye moderate. Rostral shield large, 

 spheroid, seven-sided, obtuse-angled above, reaching the surface 

 of crown ; anterior frontals moderate, broader than long ; pos- 

 terior frontals not much larger, sometimes united, bent on the 

 sides ; vertical very broad in front, with much convergent and 

 concave outer edges, and a right angle behind ; occipitals mode- 

 rate, irregularly rounded behind, no larger scale behind the oc- 

 cipital ; superciliary large, with semicircular inner edge, promi- 

 nent above the eye ; three anterior oculars, sometimes a super- 

 numerary fourth; uppermost largest, before the eye grooved, with 

 a prominent ridge, raised on the surface of crown and reaching 

 the vertical. Two moderate posterior oculars ; one (two) loreal ; 

 two large nasals, nostril between ; nine upper labials, sometimes 

 seventh divided into two, fifth and sixth coming into the orbit, 

 sixth high, and forming the third part of hinder edge of orbit ; 

 in one specimen the hinder process of the sixth upper labial is 

 separated, forming a third posterior ocular; temporals small, 

 scale -like. Scales rather elongate, in twenty-one (twenty- 

 three) rows, those of the back obscurely keeled; anal bifid. 

 Posterior maxillary tooth longest, and separated from the anterior 

 ones by an interval. Above and beneath dull yellowish, with 

 a dorsal brown zigzag line, very conspicuous in younger indivi- 

 duals ; older ones exhibit a series of oblique rounded or lozenge- 

 shaped spots, always confluent towards the tad, and forming on 

 the tail a straight, tapering, medial line ; along each side a series 

 of brown or black smaller spots, alternating with former, confluent 

 towards the tail, and forming a straight, black lateral line. On 

 the sides of belly a third, less conspicuous row of spots, alter- 

 nating with those of the second row ; remainder of belly uniform. 

 Head with symmetrical brown marks, sometimes uniform : a 

 cross band on the forehead, a pair of spots between the eyes, 

 a second on the sutures of vertical with occipitals, a third pair of 

 streak-like spots on the occipitals ; a dark, short, oblique streak 

 beneath the eye, a second longer one from the back edge of 

 eye to the angle of mouth. Length of cleft of mouth f " ; length 

 of tail 13"; total length 4' 10". 



5. Zamenis ventrimaculatus. 



Habit very slender, moderate in females. Olive, with dark 

 cross bands, more conspicuous on the anterior part of body; 

 crown of head uniform, or with dark cross bands; under the eye 

 an obsolete dark spot. Scales smooth, in nineteen or twenty-one 

 rows ; upper labials nine, fifth and sixth coining into the orbit ; 

 two anterior and two posterior oculars; occipitals behind not 



f 5 



