Snakes of Tropical Africa. 327 



orbit ; one anteocular, two postoculars ; six of the lower 

 labials are in contact with the chin-shields ; loreal not twice 

 as long as deep; temporal shields 1 + 1. Scales smooth, in 

 15 series. Head remarkably small, not depressed or elon- 

 gate ; body and tail very slender, especially the neck. Uni- 

 form green ; scales without whitish spot. 



One specimen was obtained in a collection from the Lower 

 Congo ; it is 27 inches long, the head being ^ inch long, and 

 the tail measuring 10 inches. 



Rhagerrhis oxyrJiynchus. 

 The synonymy of this species stands as follows : — 



Psammophis oxyrhynchus, Reinh. Dansk. Vid. Selsk. Afh. 1843, p. 244, 



tab. i. figs. 10-12. (V. sc. 109-178. Coast of Guinea.) 

 Ramfhiophis rostrahis, Peters, Berl. MB. 1854, p. G24, and Reise n. 



Mossanib. Ampbib. 1882, p. 124, tab. xix. fig. 1. (V. sc. 160-179. 



Mossambique.) 

 H/tayerrhts unyuiculata, Giintb. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1868, i. 



p. 422, taf. xix. fig. G. (V. sc. 176. Zanzibar.) 

 Coelopeltis o.ryrhynckus, Jan, Iconogr. livr. xxxiv. pi. i. fig. 1. 

 Ccelopeltis porrectus, Jan, Iconogr. livr. xxxiv. pi. ii. fig. 1. 



Rhagerrhis ruhroininctatus, 



Dipsina rubropunctata, Fischer, Afvik. Reptil. &c,, Hamb. 1884, p. 7, 

 taf. i. fig. 3. 



Kilima-ndjaro. V. sc. 230. 



Psammophis acutus, sp. n. (PI. XIX. fig. D.) 



This species is distinguished by its singularly short and 

 convex head, terminating in a sharply conical snout. The 

 rostral shield has a tetragonal form, the upper side forming a 

 part of the upper surface of the snout. The occipital shields 

 are email, shorter than the vertical ; the single prteocular 

 touches the vertical ; two postoculars ; loreal square ; eight 

 upper labials, of which the first is very small, the fourth and 

 filth entering the orbit; temporals 2 + 3 + 4. Scales in 17 

 row'S ; ventrals 185; anal divided; subcaudals 59 pairs. 

 General shape of the body similar to that of Psammophis 

 sihiJans. A brown lateral band forms the boundary between 

 the ground-colour of the back and that of the lower parts. 

 The ground-colour of the back is light, with a brownish 

 tinge ; a vertebral line of a darker colour occupies only the 

 median series of scales, but is more dilated on the neck and 

 the crown of the head. The lateral band is deep brown, with 



