482 Zoological Society : — 



certina. There is scarcely any difference in the plates of the head, 

 excepting in the loreal, which is single and very long. But the general 

 form of the body and tail is very different, much longer and more 

 slender than in Ccelopeltis. In a specimen of 1 -005 m. in length 

 the head is in all dimensions only half as large as in a Ccelopeltis 

 lacertina of 0'930 m. in length. All this agrees exactly with the 

 description Brandt (Bulletin Scientifique de I'Academie des Sciences 

 de St. Petersbourg, iii. p. 243) has given, in 1837, of a new species of 

 snake, brought home by M. KareUne from the eastern shores of 

 the Caspian Sea. His description, although rather short, is very 

 accurate ; but he has omitted to pay attention to the form of the teeth. 



" Taphrometopon, n. g. Scutum verticale valde elongatum, 

 postice angustissimum. Corpus necnon cauda valde elongata 

 et tenuia, Frons et vertex depressa. Frontis et vertieis ra- 

 tione ad genus Ccelopeltis accedit, sedprceter corporis staturam, 

 capite, preesertim rostro longiore, tetragono et scuto loreo elon- 

 gato, simplice, necnon superciliis minus acute prominentibus 

 differtr 

 *' Coluber (Taphrometopon) lineolatus. Caput sat an- 

 gustum, oblongo-tetragonum. Collum penna anserina paulo 

 crassius. Squamee medium dorsum obtegentes omnes satis an- 

 guste lanceolateB. Abdomen subplanum, album. Collum et 

 abdominis anterior pars punetis later alibus minoribus et ceu' 

 tralibus paulo majoribus olivaceo-nigricantibus adspersa. Frons 

 et vertieis, necnon occipitis medium e griseo olivascentia. Dor- 

 sum cinereum, exceptis lineis quatuor e nigricante olivaceis, 

 quarum duce in superciliis incipientes parallele, sed parum di- 

 stincte in medio dorso pallidiores ad caudam usque decurrunt, 

 et duce alice pone nares initium capientes ab oculis interruptee 

 in lateribus corporis subevanidce et magis grisece conspiciuntur. 

 Corporis longitudo V 11", caudce 5^, abdominis latitudo summa 

 4'"." 

 Brandt does not mention the grooved appearance of the scales ; 

 but his specimen seems to have been very young, according to the 

 dimensions he has given. 



A few years later, in 1841, apparently the same snake was described 

 and figured by Eichwald (Fauna Caspio-caucasica, p. 123, t. 29) 

 under the name of Ccelopeltis vermiculata, from the western shores 

 of the Caspian Sea. At least, the number of the longitudinal rows 

 of scales, seventeen, agrees with Chorisodon, and not with Ccelopeltis 

 lacertina, which has nineteen rows of scales. Yet I have some 

 doubts of their identity, the general form of Eichwald's species being 

 more like that of the latter. 



The examination of the teeth of the three Berlin specimens shows 

 no free space between the maxillary teeth, as described by Bibron ; 

 but they form a continued row, excepting the hinder furrowed ones, 

 which are separated, as usual, by a small interval from the rest. 

 There are (fig. 5) first seven very small teeth, only loosely attached 

 to the maxillary bone, then three very long and strong ones, followed 

 again by four smaller ones. Bibron found a free space in front of 



