1654 The Zoologist — May, 1869. 



third plate of that work, under the name of Coluber dumfriesiensis : 

 the figure, however, does not support this suggestion, neither does it 

 agree better with the Common Snake. On this subject Mr. Bell makes 

 the followini^ observation : " There is, I think, great reason to believe 

 that it [Coluber dumfriesiensis] was a very young Natrix torquata, 

 [Coluber Natrix], but differing certainly, in many respects, from the 

 usual appearance and characters of that species: it was three or four 

 inches in length, of a pale brown colour, with pairs of reddish brown 

 stripes from side to side over the back, somewhat zig-zag, with inter- 

 vening spots on the sides. The most remarkable peculiarity men- 

 tioned, however, is that the scales are extremely simple, not carinated; 

 the abdominal plates were one hundred and sixty-two — those under 

 the tail about eighty." — DelVs ' British Reptiles,' p. 60. 



It will be seen that the ornamentation of this little snake does not 

 correspond with that of any known British species ; but the peculiarity 

 of the dorsal scutes, as well as the number of ventral scutes, agrees 

 with that of Coluber austriacus. 



The first unquestionable evidence of the existence of the Lizard 

 Snake in Britain was supplied by the Hon. Arthur Russell, and kindly 

 communicated to the ' Zoologist' by Dr. Gray as follows: — 



" The Hon. Arthur Russell has sent to the British Museum a 

 specimen of the female Coronella austriaca [Coluber austriacus], 

 which was taken by a resident, near the flag-stafi' at Bourne- 

 nioulh, Hampshire, — the habitat of the larger heath lizard (Lacerta 

 Slivpium). These species are found together not uncommonly, and 

 generally distributed over Europe. The snake is said to live on the 

 lizard : this is one of the most interesting additions to the British 

 Fauna which has been made for many years, as it is not common to 

 find a new vertebrate animal except occasional visitants : this snake 

 has small scales, is brown, with two lines of darker spots down the 

 sides of the back, a dark blotch on the shoulder and head, and a 

 blackish streak under the eye. It is like a viper in size and general 

 appearance, but wants the dark lozenge-shaped spots on the back." — 

 John Edward Gray, in ' Zoologist,'' p. 6731. 



This interesting communication was shortly followed by another 

 from that eminent and indefatigable zoologist, Mr. Bond, who appears 

 to have met with the species four or five years earlier, although he had 

 not identified it with Coluber austriacus. Mr. Bond's communication 

 is as follows : — 



" I captured a specimen of the new British Snake Coronella 



