416 COLUBRID. 
Snout moderately long, pointed ; rostral with a trace of a short 
lateral cleft ; internasals forming a short median suture; a single 
prefrontal, twice and a half as broad as long; frontal nearly as long 
as its distance from the end of the snout, slightly shorter than the 
parietals ; frontal anteriorly nearly twice the} greatest width of the 
supraoculars ; two loreals, anterior largest ; three preoculars, upper 
largest and in contact with the frontal; a subocular; two or 
postoculars ; temporals 2+3 (or 14+3); seven upper labials, none 
in contact with the eye; four lower labials in contact with the 
anterior chin-shields ; posterior chin-shields smaller than the anterior 
and separated from each other by two series of scales. Scales 
smooth, in 19 rows. Ventrals 174-180; anal divided or entire; 
subcaudals 44-46. Upper parts pale buff, with brown, black-edged 
symmetrical markings ; an anchor-shaped marking on the head, the 
crescentic portion extending from one angle of the mouth to the 
other, passing through the eyes and crossing the frontal and pre- 
frontal ; the longitudinal branch expands in a large spot on the 
middle of the parietals and bifurcates on the nape; large transverse 
spots disposed at regular intervals on the body and tail, and alter- 
nating with smaller ones on the flanks; lower parts uniform white. 
Total length 425 millim. ; tail 70. 
Afghanistan and Transcaspia. 
a-b. g (V.174,174; Chinkilok, Afghanistan. Dr. J. Aitchison [C.]. 
C. 46, ?). Afghan Boun 
Comm. (Types). 
3. Lytorhynchus paradoxus. 
Acontiophis paradoxa, Giinth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1875, p. 232, fig. ; 
Murray, Ann. § Mag. N. H. (5) xiv. 1884, p. 110. 
Lytorhynchus paradoxus, Bouleng. Faun. Ind., Rept. p. 323, fig. 
(1890). 
Snout long and acutely pointed; rostral with a lateral cleft; 
suture between the internasals shorter than that between the pre- 
frontals and shorter than the upper part of the rostral; frontal as 
broad as long, nearly as long as its distance from the end of the 
snout, as long as the parietals ; supraocular narrow; a small loreal ; 
three preoculars; two postoculars ; temporals 2+2 or 2+3; eight 
upper labials, fifth entering the eye; four lower labials in contact 
with the anterior chin-shields, which-are shorter but much broader 
than the posterior. Scales smooth, in 19 rows, Ventrals 169- 
175; anal divided; subcaudals 40-53. Cream-colour above, with 
a dorsal series of transverse brown spots and a less distinct lateral 
series of smaller spots on each side; a large rhomboidal brown 
spot on the back of the head, and a brown streak behind the eye; 
lower parts white. 
Total length 370 millim. ; tail 60. 
Sind. 
a. ¢ (V. 169; C. 40). N. India. 7. ve Jerdon, Esq. [P.}. 
(Type.) 
b. 29 (V.175; C.53). Zangipur, Sind. J.A. Iricion Esq. [P.]. 
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