280 Mr. G. A. Bouleiiffer on netv 



o^ 



rupted in the middle, some distance behind the head ; upper 

 lip and lower parts uniform yellowish. 



Total length 185 millim. ; tail 13. 



Java. A single male specimen, collected by Dr. Ploem. 



CoJuher phyllophis. 



Snout projecting ; eye rather large. Rostral much broader 

 than deep, visible from above j nasal sometimes entire or semi- 

 divided ; internasals as long as broad or a little longer, at 

 least as long as the praefrontals ; frontal once and one third 

 to once and two thirds as long as broad, as long as its distance 

 from the rostral or the end of the snout, a little shorter than 

 the paiietals ; loreal considerably longer than deep ; one prgs- 

 ocular, with a subocular below ; two postoculars ; temporals 

 2 + 3 or 3 + 3 ; eight (rarely nine) upper labials, fourth and 

 fifth (or fifth and sixth) entering the eye ; four or five lower 

 labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields, which are 

 nearly as long as or longer than the anterior. Scales in 

 twenty-three rows, very strongly keeled, outer row smooth. 

 Ventrals obtusely angulate laterally, 209-220 ; anal entire or 

 divided ; subcaudals 80-96. Young pale olive above, with 

 traces of a few black transverse bands on the anterior part of 

 the body and a brown lateral line on the posterior part of the 

 body and along the tail j labials yellowish, with brown 

 sutures ; belly yellowish, with a series of black dots on each 

 side. The adult of a darker coloration, most of the scales and 

 shields having black borders ; anterior part of back usually 

 with more or less distinct black cross bands ; belly more or 

 less dotted or spotted with black, the posterior ventrals and 

 the subcaudals usually edged with black. 



Total length 1800 millim. ; tail 380. 



China. Several specimens were obtained at Kiu Kiang by 

 Mr. Pratt, and a specimen in the British Museum is stated to 

 be from near Ningpo. 



The adult specimens have been referred by Giinther to 

 ElapMs sauromates, Pall., and the young to a special genus, 

 Fkyllophis cari'nata, Gthr. I regard the true Elaphis sauro- 

 mates as a variety of Coluber quadrilineatus, Bonnat. [quaier- 

 radiaius, Gmel.), distinguished by the retention in the adult 

 of the dorsal spots, which in the western form disappear and 

 are replaced by four black stripes. I can find no structural 

 difference between the two forms, and I do not think that 

 young specimens could be surely distinguished. But, as 

 hinted by Strauch and Bedriaga, the present species is quite 

 distinct, differing in the more prominent snout, larger eye, 



