1878.] MR. H. SAUNDERS ON THE LARIN.E. J 55 



side. Scales round the body in seventeen rows, abdominals about 

 156, subcaudals eight to thirteen pairs. Colour of a uniform brown 

 or sometimes quite black, with several deep-red blotches along the 

 sides of the anterior portion of the trunk and about the tail, and 

 rarely several of these are present along the sides of the trunk. 

 Gab. ? 



The tail of this species is more like that of Plectrurus than that 

 ol Silybura; but I prefer to restrict Plectrurus to those species 

 which have a supraorbital shield and only fifteen rows of scales. 



The snake I formerly described as Plectrurus trilineatus has been 

 placed by Dr. Giinther in a new genus, " Platyplectrurus :" this has 

 the supraorbital and only fifteen rows of scales, but it differs from 

 Plectrurus proper in the presence of an elongated temporal shield over 

 the fourth labial, besides in other points, as noted by Dr. Giinther ; 

 and I think the genus may stand. Plectrurus sanguineus (which I 

 find, on a reexamination of the species, has always fifteen rows of 

 scales only round the centre of the body, not seventeen) will belong 

 to this genus ; and I have described two other species, P. hewstoni 

 and P. madurensis . 



My Plectrurus pulneyensis has been placed by Dr. Giinther in 

 RJunophis ; but it should, I think, rather be referred to Silybura. 



My Silybura canarica has been referred to Plectrurus : it has only 

 fifteen rows of scales (but it wants the supraorbital): the tail, however 

 is exactly that of the type of Plectrurus, with the poiuts of the 

 terminal scutes one above the other. It may form a distinct section 

 in the genus, or have a new genus constituted for it. The only 

 other Silybura described with fifteen rows of scales is Silybura 

 macrolepis of Peters, which I have never seen, and its locality is 

 unknown ; it has evidently the typical caudal disk of Silybura. Dr 

 Giinther omits all mention of this species in his synopsis of the 

 species published in the Society's 'Proceedings' in March 1875. 



I wish that I could attach the same importance as Dr. Giinther 

 does to the number of the abdominal plates ; if he is correct in this 

 I have several new species of the ocellated Silybura like S. ocellata, 

 liura, and melanoy aster. 



Specimens of all the species described in this paper have been 

 sent to the British Museum. 



10. On the Larince or Gulls. 

 By Howard Saunders, F.L.S., F.Z.S. 



[Keceived December 31, 1877.] 



A revision of the Larince is a more difficult task than that of the 

 StermiKB, the members of the present subfamily being subject to far 

 greater variations in plumage on their passage from youth to a»e 

 than is customary with the Terns. The latter, although offering 

 differences in individual size and graduation of tint which are often 

 extremely puzzling, may be said to have only two, or at most three 

 stages of plumage, viz. the immature, the winter-, and the adult 



