Mr. G. A. Boulenger on a new Snake from Afghanistan. 413 



men which has undergone repair of the arms we find that the 

 restored portions are of a much lighter colour than the rest of 

 the animal. 



As to the cause of the considerable variations here noted I 

 can offer no suggestion : though Dr. Murray dredged in 

 various lochs, and noted certain differences in the fauna, I 

 have not yet any evidence that the variations of A. CMajii 

 have any obvious relation to difference of locality ; specimens 

 taken at one spot differ greatly among themselves. 



LVIII. — Description of a new Snake from Afghanistan. 

 By G. A. BOULENGEE. 



Lytorhynchus Ridgewayi. 



Head small, distinct from neck ; snout pointed, strongly 

 projecting. B,ostral very large, four-sided ; the lower side 

 longer than the upper, deeply concave ; the lateral sides 

 angularly emarginate, concave, with a trace of a short longi- 

 tudinal cleft ; the posterior angle wedged in between the pair 

 of frontonasals, which form a short suture. A single prse- 

 frontal, twice and a half as broad as long ; frontal large, 

 pentagonal, a little longer than broad, its straight anterior 

 border twice as long as the greatest width of the supraoculars ; 

 parietals slightly longer than the frontal ; nostril very indis- 

 tinct, but, by pressing, fluid is expelled from the upper half 

 of the oblique suture between the two nasals ; of the latter 

 shields the anterior is more than twice as large as the second ; 

 a small loreal ; three prgeoculars, upper largest and in con- 

 tact with the frontal ; a subocular ; two or three postoculars ; 

 seven upper labials, none in contact with the eye, three poste- 

 rior largest ; two anterior temporals, upper smallest ; three or 

 four temporals in contact with the parietal. Six infralabials 

 on each side in contact with the chin-shields, the posterior 

 pair of which is the smallest and separated by two* pairs of 

 scales. Nineteen rows of scales. Ventralsl74; anal divided 

 in one specimen, single in the other ; subcaudals 46 pairs. 

 Upper surfaces pale buff, with brown, black-edged, symme- 

 trical markings ; an anchor-shaped marking on the head, the 

 crescentic portion extending from one angle of the mouth to 

 the other, passing through the eye and crossing the frontal 

 and prsefrontal ; the longitudinal branch expands in a large 



