360 Dr. A. Giinther on new Species of Snakes 



the Zoology of South Africa/ to the vaults of a second-rate 

 collection. 



I can now add a third species^ for which the British Museum 

 is indebted to Professor Grant. On account of the form of its 

 head, it belongs to the genus Simocephalus. The two species of 

 this genus may be distinguished thus : — 



1 . Simocephalus poensis. 



1849. Heterolepis poensis (Gray), Smith, 111. Zool. S. Africa: Reptiles. 

 1854. Heterolepis bicarinatus (Schleg;.), Dum. & Bibr. vii. p. 422. 

 1858. Simocephalus poensis (Gray), Giinth. Col. Snakes, p. 194. 



All the vertebral scales strongly bicarinate ; posterior oculars 

 two ; the occipital is not in contact with a labial. Body and 

 tail very much elongate ; ventrals 250-257*; subcaudals 67-105. 



Fernando Po ; coast of Guinea ; Camaroon Mountains ; Old 

 Calabar. 



2. Simocephalus Grantii. PI. V. fig. F. 



The vertebral scales of the anterior two-thirds of the body 

 very obtusely and indistinctly bicarinate. One postocular ; the 

 occipital is in contact with the fifth upper labial. Body and tail 

 rather elongate ; ventrals 167 ; subcaudals 55. 



This species, although similar to the preceding, may be at 

 once distinguished by its less elongate body, by the much 

 smaller number of ventral shields, and by the less distinct keels. 

 The head is flat and depressed, but the snout is less dilated than 

 in its congener. Anterior frontals very small, posterior very 

 large, nearly as large as the vertical, which is five-sided and as 

 broad as long. Loreal elongate ; prse- and post-ocular narrow ; 

 seven upper labials, the third and fourth of which enter the 

 orbit ; the fifth is in contact with the occipital ; temporals 

 elongate, l-|-2. Scales in 15 rows, only those of the three 

 series nearest to the vertebral row are keeled. Uniform black 

 above, yellowish below ; tail sometimes with black spots below. 



West Africa. Several specimens are in the collections of 

 Prof. Grant and of the British Museum; the largest is 18 inches 

 long, the tail measuring 3^ inches. 



Enygrus super ciliosus. PI. VI. fig. D. 



Two shields on each superciliary region. 



This species is similar to E. carinatus, its snout bein^ flat, 

 prominent, obliquely truncated in front, with the canthus 

 rostralis angular. Four pairs of small shields, longitudinally 

 arranged, cover the upper surface of the snout, only the canthus 

 rostralis and the superciliary edge being scaly ; two larger shields, 



* Counted in four individuals. 



