SNAKES. 211 



as nearly to be three-sided, elongate, and with a very acute 

 angle behind ; occipitals moderate, rounded and forked behind ; 

 superciliary moderate ; two posterior oculars ; anterior ocular 

 forming only the upper half of anterior edge of eye, the lower 

 one being formed by the third labial; no loreal, one nasal, 

 pierced by the nostril : seven upper labials, third and fourth 

 coming into the orbit ; one larger temporal shield in contact 

 with both oculars, five smaller ones behind scale-like. Scales 

 smooth, short, large, with rounded apex, in fifteen rows ; anal 

 bifid ; subcaudals two-rowed. Eye small, pupil elliptical, erect. 

 Upper jaw with a grooved fang in front, separated from the other 

 teeth by an interval ; an elongate series of sis to seven teeth 

 behind ; palatine teeth equal in length ; anterior teeth of lower 

 jaw longest. Above brown, each scale with a yellow spot in 

 the centre ; spots in younger individuals occupying nearly the 

 whole scale, so as to give the appearance of the scales being yellow, 

 brown-edged ; crown of head and neck black, separated by a 

 broad white collar, very conspicuous in younger individuals, 

 gradually becoming obsolete ; belly uniform yellowish. In the 

 oviduct of one specimen I found eight mature eggs, but without 

 embryo. Length of cleft of mouth -jV' ; length of tail 3^" ; total 

 length 24". Length of egg |" ; breadth of egg ~\" . 



2. Glyphodon tristis. 



Above uniform blackish brown, scales of the sides obscurely 

 lighter -edged. Scales in seventeen rows. 



a. Adult male. N.E. Coast of Australia. Presented by J. Mac- 

 gillivray, Esq. 



Differs from the other species in the following characters : — 

 Vertical broad, six-sided, with an obtuse angle in front, and a 

 right one behind ; outer edges much convergent ; two nasals, 

 nostril between ; first temporal shield not much larger than 

 hinder ones, in contact with both oculars. Scales smooth, rhom- 

 boid, in seventeen rows. Anal bifid. Above uniform black, 

 with abroad, lighter, brownish collar; scales on the sides lighter- 

 edged ; beneath uniform dull yellowish ; the dark coloration of 

 the sides extending on the outer edge of each ventral plate. 

 Length of cleft of mouth f " ; length of tail 4|" ; total length 32". 



2. Demansia, Gray. 



Body and tail moderate or slender, rounded; head high, 

 quadrangular, with rather short, rounded muzzle. Rostral mo- 

 derate, vertical narrow ; no loreal, replaced by the conjunction 

 of posterior frontal (bent down on the sides), of anterior ocular, 



