86 THE KEPTILES OF THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS. 



Giinther's type has three postorbitals and is spotted, Dr. 

 Baur's specimen has three postorbitals and is striped, and 

 Steindachner's varieties both striped and spotted have but 

 two postorbitals. 



Steindachner's specimens are from Charles, Hood, In- 

 defatigable, and Jervis Islands, Baur's and Giinther's are 

 from Charles and Hood. 



The species was first placed by Dr. Giinther in Her- 

 petodryas. Peters removed it to Dromicus. The type 

 species of Dromicus is (7. angulifer, with two scale pores, 

 which differs too much to admit of including the Galapagos 

 serpent with it in the same genus. Liophis was based by 

 Wagler on L. miliaris or L. Merremii, and Opheomorphus 

 thus becomes a synonym, being founded on the same type. 

 Since Fitzinger, 1843, has applied the name Orophis direct- 

 ly to O. Chamissonis it would appear that the best way out 

 of the confusion lies in retaining his generic designation 

 for that species and others not generically distinct. 



Orophis biserialis differs from 0. Gh a missonis mainly in 

 having a larger number of scutes. Our specimen has 19 

 rows, no pores, 209 scutes under the body, a divided anal, 

 a mutilated tail, one loreal, one anteorbital, three postor- 

 bitals, eight labials, and ten infralabials. The frontal 

 does not widen in front; between the supraorbitals its 

 sides are parallel. The lateral band of light color extends 

 along the two outer rows of scales, and the upper light 

 band is on the sixth and seventh rows. The dorsal band 

 of brown occupies five entire rows with the adjoining edges 

 of two others ; the lateral bands of this color occupy but 

 three rows with the adjoined edges of two more. All of 

 the bands fade posteriorly. The lateral bands of brown 

 begin at the nostrils and pass through the eye to the flanks ; 

 the dorsal band begins on the forehead, where it is not so 

 dark. Anteriorly there are spots under the body ; pos- 



