233. sBPEDON. 389 
Maxillary extending forwards beyond the palatine, with a pair 
of large grooved poison-fangs; no other maxillary teeth; mandibular 
teeth, anterior longest. Head not distinct from neck ; ; canthus 
rostralis distinct ; eye moderate, with round pupil; nostril between 
two nasals and the internasal; no loreal. Body cylindrical ; scales 
oblique, keeled, without pits, in 19 rows; ventrals rounded. Tail 
moderate ; subcaudals in two rows. 
South Africa. 
1. Sepedon hemachates. 
Seba, Thes. ii. pl. Ixxv. fig. 1 (1735). 
Coluber heemachata, Lacép. Serp. ii. pp. 121 & 115, pl. iii. fig. 2 
(1789). 
hxemachates, Bonnat. Encycl. Méth., Ophiol. p. 31 (1789). 
Vipera heemachates, Latr. Rept. iv. p. 30 (1802) ; Daud. Rept. vi. 
- p. 207 (1803). 
Sepedon hemachates, Merr. Tent. p. 146 (1820); Gray, Cat. p. 38 
(1849); Dum. § Bibr. vii. p. 1259 (1854). 
Naia capensis, Smith, Edinb. N. Philos. Journ. i. 1826, p. 252. 
Naja hemachates, Schleg. Phys. Serp. ii. p. 481, pl. xvii. tigs, 10 & 11 
(1837) ; Smith, Ill. Zool. S. Afr., Rept. pl. xxxiv. (1843). 
Aspidelaps heemachates, Jan, Elenco, p- 118 S68), and Icon. Gén. 
44, pl. vi. fig. 4 (1878). 
Snout prominent, obtusely pointed. Rostral nearly as deep as 
broad, its upper portion nearly as long as its distance from the 
frontal ; internasals longer than the prefrontals ; frontal once and 
a half to once and three fourths as long as broad, shorter than its 
distance from the end of the snout, as long as or a little shorter 
than the parietals ; one preocular, in contact with the internasal 
and the posterior nasal; three postoculars ; temporals 2+3, lower 
anterior very large; seven upper labials, third deepest, third and 
fourth entering the eye; four lower labials in contact with the 
anterior chin-shields, which are longer than the posterior. Scales 
strongly keeled, in 19 rows. Ventrals 116-150; anal entire; sub- 
caudals 33-44. Black above, spotted, variegated, or irregularly 
barred with yellowish white or pale brown, or brown spotted with 
black ; black beneath, often with one or two whitish cross-bands 
on the neck. 
Total length 650 millim.; tail 120. 
Cape of Good Hope and Namaqualand. 
a. Q (V. 187; C. 43). Table Mt., Cape Town. H. A. Spencer, Esq. 
Fr 
b. d (V. 118; C. 40). Cape of Good Hope. Lords of the Admi- 
ralty [P.]. 
ce. Hgr.(V.141; C. 39). Cape of Good Hope. Dr. Statham [P.}. 
d. Q aw. 133 ; 0. 38). Namaqualand. 
4: 2% 130; C. 33). 8S. Africa. College of Surgeons. 
St, g-h. 3 (V. 116,117; 5S. Africa, Haslar Collection. 
C. 37, 38) & 
(Vv. 121; C. 36). 
a Skull. Cape of Good Hope. 
