226 REPTILES. 



Var. A. Yellowish brown, uniform or with darker blotches ; 

 no mark on the neck ; scales in twenty-one and more longitu- 

 dinal rows ; sometimes a fourth inferior ocular. 



a. Adult. Egypt. Presented by J. Burton, Esq. 



b. Adult. Egypt. Presented by J. Wilkinson, Esq. 



c. Adult. Egypt. Presented by J. Wilkinson, Esq. 



d. Adult. Egypt. Presented by J. Wilkinson, Esq. 



e. Adult. Egypt. Presented by J. Wilkinson, Esq. 



f. Adult. Egypt. From the Haslar Collection. 

 q. Large specimen, without fangs. N. Africa. 

 h. Adult. N. Africa. 



Var. B. Uniform black ; young with broad yellowish bands 

 on the anterior part of body. Scales in the middle of body in 

 seventeen or nineteen rows. — Hidlowell, Proc. Ac. Ned. Sc. Phil. 

 1857, p. 61. 



i. Adult. Coast of Guinea. 



k. Half-grown. W. Africa. From Mr. Rich's Collection. 



/. Young. Gambia. Presented by J. Mitchell, Esq. 



Var. C. Black, with a white spectacles-like mark on the neck ; 

 anterior part of belly yellowish, with broad black cross bands ; 

 scales of the back very irregularly disposed, so as to exhibit 

 seventeen, eighteen or twenty-one longitudinal rows, towards the 

 tail only thirteen ; sixth upper labial as in preceding varieties. 



m. Adult. Niger Expedition. 



The specimens of our Collection appear to show : — 



1 . The number of the longitudinal rows of scales, being subject 

 to variations on the anterior parts of body, is more constant to- 

 wards the tail : all the varieties exhibit there 13 or 15 rows. 



2. The black varieties come from the western parts of Africa 

 (and according to Dr. Smith's statement from South Africa). 



3. The spectacles are not to be considered as a peculiarity of 

 the East Indian species. 



4. In the African species as well as in the East Indian one, the 

 black varieties exhibit shorter anterior ribs, a less distensible neck, 

 and consequently a smaller number of scales. 



!). Cyrtophis, Sundevall. 



Body and tail moderate ; belly flat ; head high, quadrangular, 

 not very distinct from neck, with short, rounded muzzle. Rostral 

 large, covering the whole front of snout, much produced behind, 

 extending far between the anterior frontals, pointed behind ; 

 anterior frontals much larger than posterior ones; vertical mode- 



