70 VIPERAM. 



palatine bone on each side. Neck rather smaller than the 

 back of the head, from which the body increases to nearly 

 the middle of the entire length ; the rest of the body to 

 the vent scarcely diminishing; the tail becoming almost 

 abruptly smaller, and tapering to its extremity, which is 

 pointed ; the tail varies in its proportion to the body, but 

 is generally not more than one-eighth of the total length, 

 and in some even less. The head is covered with small 

 squamous plates, which in some specimens are regularly 

 formed and symmetrically placed ; but in others they are 

 very irregular. There are three which are larger than the 

 others, namely, the vertical, and the pair of occipital 

 plates. The scales of the back and sides are semi-oval, or 

 somewhat lanceolate, imbricated, and distinctly carinated ; 

 they are disposed in eighteen series. The plates of the 

 abdomen have nothing particular in their form ; they vary 

 in number, but usually consist of about one hundred and 

 forty to one hundred and fifty, and those of the tail are 

 about thirty-five pairs. 



The general ground-colour varies considerably. In 

 some it is nearly olive, in others a rich deep brown, and in 

 others a dirty brownish yellow; and when in high health, 

 and shortly after having cast the skin, the surface is 

 slightly iridescent in particular lights. A mark between 

 the eyes, a spot on each side the hinder part of the head, 

 and a zigzag line running the whole length of the body 

 and tail, formed by a series of confluent rhombs, as well as 

 a row of small irregular triangular spots on each side, all 

 of a much darker hue than the ground-colour of the body, 

 and frequently almost black. I have a specimen in my 

 collection which T received alive from Hornsey Wood, the 

 ground of which was almost perfectly white, and all the 

 markings jet black. The under parts are plumbeous in 



