324 DR. O. WUCHERER ON THE OPHIDIANS OF BAHIA. [NoV. 12, 



Of the genus Spilotes I have noticed S. corals, S. pcecilostoma, and 

 S. variabilis. 



They are very similar in their habits, very bold ; and the most un- 

 daunted is perhaps S. corais. It is called by the Brazilians "Papa- 

 pinto," from its averred predilection for chickens, of which circum- 

 stance I have never been able to satisfy myself. It frequents the 

 neighbourhood of rivers, where it often strikes terror into the 

 black washerwomen occupied at their calling, by approaching and 

 running after them. I have been told strange stories about its creep- 

 ing on to the beds of sleeping women who nurse, and sucking at their 

 breasts. It may be that, like many other reptiles, it is very fond 

 of milk ; and this may account in part for such tales, which have 

 been current in other countries also. S. corais has generally seven- 

 teen rows of scales ; but I have seen several specimens with only 

 fifteen rows. One very large specimen from Caravellas in my 

 possession, which measures 8', has nineteen rows of scales. The 

 other two species of Spilotes are both called " Cainana ; " the 

 grooves on their scales differ from those of (S. corais in being 

 larger and oblong or elliptical. I was on the point of referring a 

 specimen of S. corais, with fifteen rows of scales, to Herpetodryas 

 dendrophis, on account of the slender form of its head ; but the pre- 

 sence of the two depressions on each of its scales assisted me in its 

 correct determination. With regard to S. variabilis, I must state 

 that the specimens examined by me, which were all adults, had no 

 loreal shield. 



The Jiryadid<B I have met with belong to two genera, Herpeto- 

 dryas and Philodryas. Herpetodryas carinatus is one of the most 

 common snakes in this province. The Brazilians call it, as well as 

 all the other slender species of snakes, " Cipo," which signifies the 

 stem or a stick of a creeping- plant. Before I had read Schlegel's 

 ' Essay,' I referred all the specimens of Herpetodryas in which I did 

 not detect any keeled scales to H.fuscus, this being the only distinc- 

 tive character given in Giinther's catalogue. "When I found that 

 Schlegel had not admitted H. fuscus as a separate species, I sub- 

 mitted all my specimens (several dozens) to a closer examination, and 

 found that there was not a single one in which at least very slight 

 traces of keels were not to be found in some scales ; so that I feel in- 

 clined to follow Schlegel, and to consider my specimens as belonging 

 to one species. According to Reinhardt, the scales of Heipetodryas 

 carinatus are without any groove, — an observation with which I 

 cannot agree, having found grooved scales in all my specimens. In 

 some specimens they were found, indeed, only on a few scales of 

 the neck near the head ; others had them on the two middle rows of 

 keeled scales. The occurrence of these grooves in Herpetodryas* is 

 very interesting, particularly because they are single, and not double 

 as is generally the case in keeled scales. They are placed near to 

 the inner edge, and at the point of junction of the distal with the 



* I have examined several specimens of this species : I was unable to find these 

 grooves in H. carinatus; one specimen of H.fuscus showed a single groove on a 

 few scales on the neck. — A. G. 



