370 MR. G. KREFFT ON NEW AUSTRALIAN SNAKES. [June 26, 



has already shown, the locality heretofore assigned to it is quite in- 

 correct ; and secondly, that in comparing my bird with Chauna 

 derbiana I had only the figure (Gray & Mitchell, Genera of Birds, 

 pi. 161) to go by, no description ever having been published of this 

 species, and that the figure is much too darkly coloured, particu- 

 larly on the lower parts. 



It follows, therefore, that there are only two known species of 

 this curious form : — 



1 . C. chavaria of South-eastern Brazil and Paraguay. 



2. C. derbiana (=C. nigricollis) of the northern littoral of New 

 Granada. 



3. Descriptions of Three Species of Snakes of the Genus 

 Hoplocephalus. By Gerard Krefft, Curator and Se- 

 cretary of the Australian Museum, Sydney, N.S.W., 

 C.M.Z.S. 



1. Hoplocephalus ater, sp. nov. 



Scales in 1/ rows. Anal entire. Subcaudals 47. Ventrals 162. 



Coloration. — Black ; chin-shields whitish on outer margin ; be- 

 neath bluish black, clouded with a somewhat lighter tint on the 

 posterior part. 



Head scarcely distinct from trunk, high, quadrangular, obtuse in 

 front ; anterior frontals as large again as the posterior ones, vertical 

 five-sided, just as long as broad ; occipitals very large, widely forked; 

 six upper labials, fifth largest, leaving but one narrow temporal 

 shield above it ; there are two more temporals behind this one, of 

 which the upper one is the largest. The occipitals do not come into 

 contact with more than three scales on each side ; whilst one scale 

 is wedged in between the fork, making seven scales in all. There 

 are seven lower labials, one nasal, one anterior, and two postoculars ; 

 the pupil is rounded. 



Hab. Flinder's Range, South Australia. Discovered by Mr. 

 George Masters, who found but one specimen. 



2. Hoplocephalus mastersii, sp. nov. 



Scales in 15 rows. Ventrals 136. Subcaudals 40, or more. 



Head triangular, distinct from trunk, and pointed in front ; ver- 

 tical three times as long as broad ; all the scales of the head much 

 elongate ; six upper and seven lower labials, one anterior, two post- 

 oculars, the first (anterior one) grooved. 



Coloration. — Dark olive-green above and below, with the exception 

 of a yellowish-white elongate patch in the middle of each ventral 

 scale ; all the scales very finely striated or keeled (which is not ob- 

 servable to the naked eye), and more or less finely black-dotted. 

 Head darker than the body, a whitish band crossing the nape, a 



