48 ON THE SNAKES OF SYDNEY, 



sides. Description : Body rather elongate, rounded ; tail 

 somewhat short, not distinct from trunk ; head oblong, depressed, 

 not distinct from neck ; eye small, pupil sub-elliptical. Rostral 

 shield, very broad and low, and very obtuse superiorly ; anterior 

 frontals moderate, broader than long, rounded in front ; posterior 

 frontals rather large, five-sided, each with two hinder edges 

 forming together a right angle ; vertical, six-sided, about as broad 

 as long, with parallel outer edges, an obtuse angle in front, and a 

 pointed one behind ; occipitals oblong, obtusely rounded behind ; 

 superciliary moderate ; two posterior oculars, one anterior just 

 reaching to the upper surface of the head ; the post fror tal, 

 nasal, anteorbital and second upper labial meet at a point and 

 replace the loreals ; six upper labials : the first is very low, 

 situated below the nasal, the third and fourth enter the orbit ; 

 front series of temporals formed by two shields, one of which 

 is in contact with the post orbitals. Chin-shields of nearly 

 equal size, several scales between the hinder chin-shields and the 

 first ventral ; the median line of the upper part of the tail is 

 occupied by a series of hexagonal scales ; a series of small teeth 

 behind the grooved front tooth. 



The present species is subject to considerable variation 

 of colours during the course of the year ; sometimes before 

 changing its skin the back and head are of a leaden hue, 

 and the ventral scales uniform whitish ; after the old skin has 

 been cast off, the upper coat assumes a shining deep purple or 

 bluish black ; the ventral scales are at this time rose-coloured, 

 which hue is invariably lost in spirits. The ventral scales of 

 many subjects examined I found clouded on the sides ; some- 

 times the greater part of the scales, in particular those near the 

 vent, were blackish, and the subcaudals entirely so. I believe 

 that this is the only snake of the genus Hoplo cephalus in which 

 the tongue is white. 



The rocky neighbourhood of Middle Harbour (Port Jackson) 

 is the locality where I first found this new species, but since then 

 specimens have been obtained from Port Macquarie and the 

 Clarence River, which do not differ in colour from those inhabiting 

 the neighbourhood of Sydney ; it is highly probable that the 

 geographical distribution of this species extends still farther to 



