204 Geological Society, 



mouth, and a black band from the side of each occipital plate to the 

 sides of the neck, where it ends abruptly. 



Along the sides, for the anterior half of the body, a small whitish 

 spot occurs at regular intervals, with a broad black spot below it ; 

 these marks become fainter and fainter, and at length disappear. 

 The central line of the back, from the neck to the middle of the 

 body, pale brov^ii. 



Abdomen yellowish white, becoming dusky as it proceeds ; the 

 posterior portion and the under surface of the tail being a little 

 paler than the ground colour of the upper surface. Length of head 

 and body, 1 foot 1 inch ; of tail, 3 J inches. 



Mr. Martin observed, that Dr. Cantor, in honor of whom he named 

 this Snake, had observed it in India ; and, according to the observa- 

 tions of this gentleman, it did not attain much larger dimensions 

 than those of the specimen exhibited. 



Inhabits India. 



The exact locality of the specimen exhibited unknown. 



Herpetodryas functifer. Head narrow, scarcely distinct from 

 the body ; muzzle short and pointed ; eyes small ; body stout and 

 gradually tapering. Scales smooth, short, broad, and imbricate. 



General colour pale brown. A dark brown line runs down the top 

 of the head ; a riband of dark brown, made up of diamond-shaped 

 marks joined together, commences at the occiput, and runs down 

 the middle of the back to the end of the tail, on which last it is a 

 simple line ; a brown riband, little darker than the ground colour, 

 but narrowly margined with dark brown, begins behind each eye, 

 but soon loses itself on the sides of the body. Every scale at its 

 apex has two minute dots of chalk- white, which, if not examined 

 through a lens, might lead to the idea of their being the indications 

 of pores ; they are, however, simply round little dots of opake white. 

 Plates of abdomen pale yellowish white, irregularly and obscurely 

 marked with a dusky tint. 



The specific term puncti/er is given in allusion to the two white 

 points at the apex of each scale. 



Inhabits Antigua. 



GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Dec. 9, 1838. — A paper on the " Phascolotherium," being the 

 second part of the " Description of the Remains of Marsupial 

 Mammalia from the Stonesfield Slate," by Richard Owen, Esq., 

 F.G.S., was read. 



Mr. Owen first gave a brief summary of the characters of the 



