in the Collection of the British Museum* 95 



tail, below as well as above, are greyish, punctulated and finely 

 marbled with purplish; a few small irregular black spots are 

 sparingly scattered over the back, sides, and belly. 



Total length 52 inches ; length of head | inch ; length of tail 

 22 inches. 



The native country of this species is not known. 



Psammophis trigrammus, PI. II. fig. E. 



Head and anterior part of the trunk uniform greenish olive, 

 which colour gradually passes into the reddish olive of the re- 

 mainder of the trunk and of the tail. Behind the anterior third 

 of the length of the trunk the scales of the vertebral series 

 begin to show a black extremity ; and these spots are confluent 

 into a narrow black streak on the tail. A series of indistinct 

 brown spots runs along the meeting halves of the two outer 

 series of scales of the posterior two-thirds of the trunk and of 

 the tail. Ventral shields and the outer half of the outer series 

 of scales yellow; ventral shields tinged with greenish in the 

 middle. 



Scales in seventeen rows; ventrals 182; anal bifid; subcau- 

 dals 134. Snout moderately elongate, not pointed. Vertical 

 shield contracted in the middle, as generally in Psammophis ] 

 loreal much elongate; one ante-, two post- oculars; nine upper 

 labials, the fifth and sixth entering the orbit. Posterior chin- 

 shields much longer and narrower than the anterior. 



One specimen, 4 feet long (tail 17 inches), was obtained by 

 Mr. Monteiro on the banks of the river S. Nicolao (Little Fish 

 Bay, West Africa). It has so many points of resemblance to 

 Chrysopelea prceornata that I hesitated for some time to describe 

 it as distinct. However, it is undoubtedly a true Psammophis, 

 having one of the middle maxillary teeth much enlarged ; the 

 corresponding tooth in our specimens of Cpraornata (which are 

 young) is but little larger than the others. Both snakes appear, 

 at all events, to be specifically distinct, diff'ering in the number 

 of the scales and upper labials, in the form of the head-shields, 

 and in the coloration of the anterior parts; but it is not impro- 

 bable that C prcEornata would be better referred to the genus 

 Psammophis. 



Tropidonotus sundanensis, PI. II. fig. D. 



Scales in nineteen rows, strongly keeled, lanceolate. Head 

 not depressed ; eye very large, the length of its diameter being 

 scarcely less than that of the snout. Anterior frontals sub- 

 truncated in front ; rostral rather broader than high ; vertical 

 broadest in front, with the lateral margins convergent, much 

 longer than broad ; occipitals rather longer than the vertical. 



