Reptilium Brasiliensium Species Novcc. 247 



Serpenium Brasiliensium Species Novce ; ou Ilistoire Naturelle 

 des Especes nouvellesde Serpens recueilliesy Sfc. Publieepar 

 Jean de Spix. Ecrite (Papres les Notes du Voyageur^ par Jean 

 Wagler. Munich. 1824. 4to. pp. viii. & 75. tabb. xxvi*. 

 The laudable zeal and activity displayed by M. Spix, in laying 

 before the scientific world the splendid results of his very inte- 

 resting travels in the interior of Brazil, are deserving of our warm- 

 est thanks ; and the work now under consideration is highly 

 creditable to him, not merely in a scientific point of view, but 

 also as evidencing his superiority to those feelings of personal 

 jealousy and ambition by which naturalists, in common with other 

 men, are too frequently influenced. Untainted by any such un- 

 worthy motive, and anxious to gratify, as speedily as possible, 

 the expectations of zoologists, M. Spix has on this occasion called 

 in to his assistance the pen of M. Wagler, a gentleman of whose 

 scientific acquirements the proofs furnished in this production 

 are highly satisfactory. To him we are indebted for the whole 

 of the descriptions and observations, with the exception of those 

 relative to the habits and localities of the respective species, which 

 were supplied by the distinguished traveller whose collection it is 

 his object to illustrate. 



Of one hundred species of serpents collected by M. Spix during 

 his journey, no less than forty-three are entirely neAv ; and of 

 these, six are referable to the genus Elaps^ one to Drt/inus, seven- 

 teen to Natrix, three to Xiphosoma N. G., one to Ophis N. G., 

 one to Micrurus N.G., eight to Bothrops, one to Crotalus,oiie to 

 Stenostoma, (Tj/phbps, Schneider) one to Leposternon N. G., 

 two to Atnphisbcena, and one to Ccecilia. The first of these genera 

 has been removed by M. Wagler from among the venomous ser- 

 pents, with which it had been associated by Daudin, and subse- 

 quently by Cuvier and Merrem, and placed among the innocuous 

 ones in the family of Ophidii, v. Colubrini, inasmuch as on a care- 

 ful examination of numerous individuals of various species, he 

 discovered that they v,ere entirely destitute of poisonous fangs. 

 The E. Langsdorjii aXone h, furnished with one longer tooth on 

 each side of the upper jaw, which however does not appear to 

 possess a poisonous character. 



