274 COLUBBIDJE. 



teeth small, anterior longest. Head small, not distinct from neck ; 

 eye small, with round pupil ; nostril in a single nasal ; loreal small 

 or absent. Body cylindrical, short ; scales smooth, with apical 

 pits, in 15 rows ; ventrals rounded. Tail short, subcaudals in two 

 rows. 

 Africa. 



Fig. 19. 



Maxillary and mandible of Homalosoma lutrix. 



Synopsis of the Species. 



I. Ventrals 115-144. 



A. Nasal not in contact with praeocular ; usually two postoculars ; 



frontal as long as parietals .... 1. lutrix, p. 274. 



B. Nasal in contact with prseocular ; one postocular ; frontal 



shorter than parietals. 



Frontal much longer than broad ; suture 



between the intern asals longer than 



that between the praef rontals 2. shiranum, p. 276. 



Frontal scarcely longer than broad; suture 



between the internasals shorter than 



that between the praefrontals 3. dbyssinicum, p. 276. 



II. Ventrals 97-110 ; nasal not in contact with praeocular ; two 



postoculars ; frontal as long as parietals. 



4. variegatum, p. 276. 



1 . Homalosoma lutrix. 



Coluber lutrix, Linn. S. N. i. p. 375 (1706). 



duberria (Klein), Merr. Beitr. p. 7, pi. i. (1790). 



Elaps duberria, Schneid. Hist. Amph. ii. p. 297 (1801). 



Coluber tetragonus, Latr. Rept. iv. p. 97 (1802) ; Daud. Sept. vii. 



p. 207 (1803). 



arctiventris, Daud. t. c. p. 221 ; Kuhl, Beitr. p. 82 (1820). 



Duberria arctiventris, Fitziny. N. Clafts. Rept. p. 65 (1826). 

 Calamaria arctiventris, Schleg. Phys. Serp. ii. p. 3(3, pi. i. tigs. 24-26 



(1837). 



'lomalosoma arctiventris, Smith, III. Zool. S. Afr., Rept., App. p. 16 

 ' (1849). 



- lutrix, Dum. fy Bibr. vii. p. 110 (1854); Giinth. Cat. p. 20 

 < (1858) ; Jan, Arch. Zool. Anat. Phys. ii. 1862, p. 33, and Icon. 

 * Gen. 13, pi. iii. fig. 3 (1865). 

 ((/yclophis catenatus, Theob. Cat. Rept. As. Soc. MVA. 1868, p. 49. 





