38 ON THE SNAKES OF SYDNEY, 



be owing to its nocturnal habits ; it is found along tbe East Coast, 

 and ranges as far as Port Essington ; individuals observed in 

 captivity appeared very gentle in disposition, and could be freely 

 handled without showing any inclination to bite, they passed the 

 day coiled up amongst the branches of trees, but became very 

 active at night, noiselessly gliding through the foliage in search of 

 their prey, which, as in the Green Tree snake, consists of birds, 

 birds' eggs, insects, frogs, lizards, and the smaller mammalia. 



I am unable to state whether the female is oviparous or 

 not; the number of young produced annually does probably not 

 exceed 20. Total length of adult about 6 feet. 



4. PYTHONIDJS, OR ROCK-SNAKES. 

 MORELIA. Grey. 



MORELIA SPILOTES. THE DIAMOND SNAKE. 



Scales in 47 rows. 

 Yentrals 276. 

 Anal bifid. 

 Subcaudals 80/80. 



Head shields small, scale-like ; three pairs of distinct frontal 

 plates, vertical plate indistinct, rostral shield with a pit on each 

 side, first and second upper labials pitted ; of the lower labials 

 the first seven are smooth, then follow seven deeply pitted scales, 

 and 3 or 4 smooth ones, nostrils lateral, in a single plate with a 

 groove beneath ; eyes lateral; pupil elliptical, erect ; scales smooth; 

 subcaudal plates in two rows, two spur-like appendages near the 

 vent. 



Coloration : 



Bluish black above, almost every scale with a yellowish (white 

 in spirits) elongate spot in the centre ; there is a series of dark- 

 edged irregular blotches upon the back, each bearing in the 

 middle a few very bright yellow-colored scales ; these spots or 

 blotches vary considerably in different individuals, specimens 

 from Port Macquarie having almost the markings of the Carpet 

 Snake, but still retaining the yellow spot in each scale, which in 



