16 COLUBRIDZ, 
present. Body cylindrical; scales striated and keeled, without pits, 
in 23 to 29 rows; ventrals rounded. ‘Tail moderate, slightly 
compressed ; subcaudals in two rows. 
South-eastern Asia; North Australia. 
Synopsis of the Species. 
Four lower labials in contact with the anterior 
chin-shields ; scales very strongly keeled, in 
23 to 27 rows; ventrals 132-160 ...... 1. rhynchops, p. 16.. 
Three lower labials in contact with the anterior 
chin-shields; scales moderately keeled, in 
25 rows; ventrals 148-149 ............ 2. australis, p. 18. 
‘Three (rarely four) labials in contact with the 
anterior chin-shields; scales rather feebl 
keeled, in 29 rows; ventrals 163-165 .. 3. microlepis, p. 18. 
1. Cerberus rhynchops. 
Russell, Ind. Serp. i. pl. xvii. (1796), and ii. pl. xl. (1801). 
Hydrus rhynchops, Schneid, Hist. Amph. i. p. 246 (1799). 
Elaps bowformis, Schneid. op. cit. ii. p. 801 (1801). 
Hydrus cinereus, Shaw, Zool. iii. p. 567 (1802). 
Hurria schneideriana, Daud. Rept. v. p. 281 (1803). 
Coluber cerberus, Daud. op. cit. vii. p. 167 (1803). 
hon rhynchops, Merr. Tent. p. 90 (1820). 
omalopsis cerberus, Fitzing. N. Class, Rept. p. 55 (1826). 
molurus, Bote, Isis, 1826, p. 218. 
— “a Schleg. Phys. Serp. ii. p. 841, pl. xiii. figs. 6 & 7 
1837). 
Sater cinereus, Cantor, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1839, p. 54; Gray, Cat. 
p. 64 (1849). 
Homalopsis rhynchops, Cantor, Cat. Mal, Rept. p. 94 (1847). 
Cerberus cinereus, part., Gray, Cat. p. 64. 
acutus, Gray, l. c. p. 65. 
— unicolor, Gray, /. ¢. 
— bowformis, Dum. § Bibr. vii. p. 978 (1854). 
Homalopsis bowformis, Jan, Elenco, p. 77 (1863), and Arch, Zool.. 
Anat, Phys, iii. 1865, p. 257. 
Cerberus rhynchops, Giinth, Rept. Brit. Ind. P. 279 (1864) ; Anders. 
Proc. Zool. Soc. 1871, p. 179; Theob. Cat. . Brit. Ind, p. 185 
(1876) ; Murray, Zool. Sind, p. 3881 (1884); Bouleng. Faun. Ind., 
Rept. p. 374 (1890). 
Rostral nearly as deep as broad; frontal shield distinct or broken up 
into small shields ; loreal usually in contact with the three or four 
anterior labials and with the internasal; nasal cleft extending to 
the first upper labial, rarely to the second; eye between four to six 
shields, viz. a supraocular, a preocular, one or two postoculars, and 
one, two, or three suboculars; nine or ten upper labials, posterior 
transversely divided ; four lower labials in contact with the anterior 
chin-shields ; posterior chin-shields smaller and wedged in between 
the anterior and the labials. Scales very strongly keeled, in 23 or 
