358 Dr. A. Gunther on new Species of Snakes 



sided, with the anterior and lateral borders equal in length ; 

 occipitals rather rounded behind, nearly as long as the vertical 

 and posterior frontals together. Loreal square; prseorbital 

 single, extending on the upper surface of the crown, but not 

 reaching the vertical ; two postorbitals ; seven low upper labials, 

 the third and fourth entering the orbit; temporals 1+24-3. 

 Two pairs of chin-shields, the anterior rather shorter than the 

 posterior, and in contact with four labials. Ventrals 134; anal 

 bifid; subcaudals 69. 



Uniform brown, the anterior part of the lower side somewhat 

 lighter ; a faint yellowish line from the lower postocular to the 

 angle of the mouth. 



Jamaica. An adult specimen is 17 inches long, the tail 

 measuring 5 inches. I have described it because I am not 

 aware that this has been done from an old example. 



Herpetodryas dendr aphis and //. brunneus. 



M. Jan, in a list of names, entitled 'Elenco sistematico degli 

 Ofidi,^ p. 81, attempts to give out Herpetodryas brunneus, Gthr., 

 from Guayaquil, as a variety of H. dendrophis, Schleg. Probably 

 he has never properly examined the former, if he has seen it at 

 all. H. brunneus is distinguished by feeble keels on the dorsal 

 scales, the four outer series being entirely smooth ; H. dendrophis 

 has very strong keels, visible even in the outermost series. H. brun- 

 neus (PI. VI. fig. A) has an eye of moderate size, its longitudinal 

 diameter being equal to the width of the vertical shield ; in H. 

 dendrophis (PI. VI. fig. B) this organ is extremely large, the same 

 diameter being much more than the width of the vertical shield. 

 H. dendrophis has cross bands ; H. brunneus never. However, 

 the two species are similar to each other, both having 17* 

 series of scales and almost the same number of ventral shields, 

 157-160. 



I have but little doubt that H. nuchalis (Peters, Berl. Monats- 

 ber. 1863, p. 285) is identical with H. dendrophis ; however, it 

 has a black band round the occipitals, which I do not observe 

 in any of the specimens collected by M. Salle in Mexico and by 

 Messrs. Godman and Salvin in Guatemala. The coloration va- 

 ries a little, sometimes the black being prominent in the bands, 

 and sometimes the white. One very large specimen is almost 

 uniform black above, with a red tail ; yet traces of the cross 

 bands are visible. It was found at the same time and at the 

 same place with others of the usual style of coloration. 



* The number 15, stated by Schlegel and myself, is ineori'ect; in the 

 single specimen which I formerly had for comparison there are 15 series 

 only on the anterior part of the trunk, but 17 in the middle : Schlegel also 

 represents 17 series of scales in his ' Abbildungen.' 



