MORELIA ARGUS. 115 



The abdominal scutellae are two hundred and ten in number, the sub- 

 caudal ones are thirty-four. 



The color is of a uniform isabel hue above ; dull-yellow beneath. 



Loc. A specimen, a little over fifteen inches, was collected up 

 Puget Sound, Washington Territory. 



Plate VII, fig. 8, represents Wenona Isabella, size of life. 



Fig. 9, is a side view of the head. 



Fig. 10, a view of the same, from above. 



Fig. 11, exhibits the inferior surface of the head. 



Fig. 12, a front view of the same. 



Fig. 13, the disposition of the dorsal scales. 



Fig. 14, the vent and adjoining scutellae. 



GENUS MORELIA, GRAY. 



GEX. CHAR. Upper surface of head covered with scale-like plates. 

 Three pairs of frontal plates larger than the rest. Vertex plate 

 small. A pit on each side of the rostral plate. Anterior three 

 upper labials pitted ; hindermost six lower labials pitted also. 

 Nostrils lateral, in a single plate, with a groove beneath. Eyes 

 lateral, of medium size; pupil elliptical, vertical. Dorsal scales 

 smooth. Subcaudal scutellae disposed upon a double row. 



STN. Morelia, GRAY, Zool. Misc. 1842, 43; & Catal. Snakes, Brit. Mus. 1849, 

 82 & 85. 



OBSERV. This genus belongs to the group of Pythonians, whose 

 chief features consist in the development of the premaxillary teeth 

 and supraoculary bone, and in the arrangement of the subcaudal 

 scutellae upon a double row. All the Pythonians inhabit the Old 



World. 



MORELIA ARGUS, Dum. & Bibr. 



SPEC. CHAR. Dorsal scales small, lanceolated, subtruncated towards 

 the sides and also posteriorly, disposed upon forty-seven longitu- 



