166 Dr. A. Giinther on a new Genus of West African Snakes, 



In specimens which are well preserved, and not for a long period 

 in spirits, we are often able to distinguish the yellow rings from 

 the red ground-colour even if both colours have faded, the 

 former being a more saturated white ; in others we can deter- 

 mine the colours by analogy, for there is a certain law in their 

 distribution, in spite of all the modifications ; in a few this is 

 quite impossible. Now, if Prof. Jan professes to distinguish 

 the species " par les dessins qui resultent de la distribution de 

 leurs differentes couleurs," one is not prepared to find the colora- 

 tion of a part of the figures doubtful, or even faulty; never- 

 theless this is the case. 



1 . Provided that Prof. Jan ascertained the colours of E. multi- 

 fasciatus from a living specimen, it is very doubtful whether the 

 light rings in this species, three specimens of which are in the 

 British Museum, are red or yellow. 



2. If in E. apiatus, Jan, the black rings are not yellow- 

 edged, as represented in the figure, the occipital region cannot 

 be yellow, but red, as in E. Hemprichii and affinis. 



3. In E. Dumerilii the temporal region is represented as en- 

 tirely yellow, whilst the black ring round the neck ought to have 

 an anterior yellow margin only, the remainder being red. In- 

 consistently enough, the same parts in E. decoratus are repre- 

 sented as entirely red, whilst in fact the distribution of the 

 colours is the same as in the former species. 



4. In E. Gravetthorstii the colours are entirely confounded : 

 what is red ought to be yellow, and vice versa, according to the 

 law that the rings within the black zone are always yellow. 



With regard to the new species, we find two distinguished 

 from the others by the sixth labial shield extending to the occi- 

 pital. This appears to be a constant character in E. decoratus, 

 which, especially by a very broad vertical shield*, shows that it 

 is a really distinct species. This is not the case in Elaps Riisei, 

 founded on a single specimen from St. Thomas. The British 

 Museum possesses six specimens — two from Trinidad (one lately 

 arrived), one since ascertained to be from St. Vincent's, and 

 three without proper locality, all of which were and are referred 

 by myself to E. corallinus. The sixth upper labial is in two 

 specimens separated from the occipital by a temporal ; in two 

 this temporal is united with the labial, both forming one shield 

 in immediate contact with the occipital ; in the fifth speci- 

 men is a separate temporal on one side and no temporal on 

 the other; and in the sixth there are two temporal shields, but 

 the upper angle of the labial shield touches the occipital : this 



* In the figures of E. decoratus and Riisei (Rev. et Mag. Zool. I. c), 

 the sixth labial is represented with a transverse fold. Cf. Proc. Zool. 

 Soc. 1859, pi. viii. f. A. 



