in the Collection of the British Museum. 181 
a point and replace the loreal. Six upper labials; the first is 
lower than the following, the third and fourth enter the orbit; 
The chief character by which the species may be readily distin- 
guished is the increased number of temporal shields, as stated 
above. Scales round the neck small. Chin-shields of nearly 
equal size ; several scales between the hinder chin-shields and the 
first ventral; 129-132 ventrals, 1 anal, 835-37 subcaudals; a 
series of four teeth behind the grooved front tooth. Uniform 
olive-brown or chestnut-brown above, uniform yellowish below. 
The five specimens in the British Museum are from South 
Australia (locality unknown); the longest (adult female) is 20 
inches, - the head being ? inch and the tail 23 inches long, It 
feeds on frogs. 
Hoplocephalus nigrescens, Pl. IX. fig. 12. 
Scales in fifteen rows; six upper labials, the second of which 
is pointed above, the third truncated. Uniform blackish olive 
above ; ventral shields whitish, blackish on the sides; the entire 
head, superiorly and inferiorly, of the same colour as the back. 
Description.—Body rather elongate, rounded ; tail somewhat 
short, not distinct from trunk ; head oblong, depressed, hardly 
distinct from neck ; eye small, pupil subelliptical. Rostral shield 
very broad and low, and very obtuse superiorly ; anterior frontals 
moderate, broader than long, rounded in front ; posterior frontals 
rather large, five-sided, each with two hinder edges forming toge- 
ther a right angle; vertical six-sided, longer than broad, with 
ee outer edges, an obtuse angle in front, and a pointed one 
ehind ; occipitals oblong, obtusely rounded behind ; superci- 
liary moderate ; two posterior oculars, one anterior just reaching 
to the upper surface of the head; the postfrontal, nasal, ante- 
orbital and second upper labial meet at a point and replace the 
loreal ; six upper labials : the first is very low, situated below the 
nasal, the third and fourth enter the orbit; front series of tem- 
porals formed by two shields, one of which is in contact with the 
postorbitals. Chin-shields of nearly equal size, several scales 
between the hinder chin-shields and the first ventral, 173 ven- 
trals, 1 anal, 37 subcaudals ; the median line of the upper part 
of the tail is occupied by a series of large hexagonal scales ; a 
series of small teeth behind the grooved front-tooth. 
Length of the cleft of mouth 5 lines, of the tail 25 lines ; total 
length 153 inches. This species was discovered by Mr. G, Krefft, 
n the environs of Sydney. 
Callophis nigrescens. 
Upper parts dark-blackish ash, lower uniform whitish ; head 
with symmetrical black markings, one of which descends from 
Q* 
