81 



July 24, 1838. 



Thomas Bell, Esq., in the Chair. 



A letter, addressed to the Secretary, was read, from Walter Paton, 

 Esq., accompanying a donation to the Museum of an Indian Fowl, 

 remarkable for having had one of its spurs engrafted upon its head. 

 The spur, in consequence of its removal to a part in which the supply 

 of arterial blood was greatly increased, had grown to an unnatural 

 size, and hung down in crescentic shape, presenting a very singular 

 appearance. 



Mr. Martin brought before the Meeting a collection of Snakes 

 procured by the Euphrates Expedition, which, at the request of the 

 Chairman, he proceeded to notice in detail. 



The first, he observed, appeared to be referable to the Coluber 

 Cliffordii ; it agreed in every respect with specimens of that snake 

 from Trebizond, procured by Keith Abbott, Esq., except that its co- 

 lours were more obscure. Of this species there were several speci- 

 mens, young and adult. 



The others he regarded as new, and described them as follows : 



Coluber Chesneii. This species is allied to Col. Hippocrepis, 

 but differs in the shape of the muzzle, (which is more acute,) in the 

 figure and extent of the nasal and labial plates, and in the disposition 

 of the markings. 



The labial plates are small and numerous, and in one specimen 

 several are divided. 



Tlie posterior frontals are small, and in one specimen are divided 

 into two. 



The anterior frontals are contracted. 



The superciliary plates are convex ; — the eyes are small. 



The scales of the trunk are small, imbricate, and without a keel. 



The head is pale yellowish brown, the plates beautifully freckled 

 or finely marbled with dark brown : a brown band traverses the 

 superciliary and vertical plates from eye to eye, and then descends 

 on each side obliquely to the angle of the mouth. The labial plates 

 are bordered with dusky brown or deep gray. 



The ground colour of the body above is yellowish brown ; a series 

 of square spots of a brown, or olive brown colour, extend from the 

 back of the neck, above the median dorsal line, to the end of the 

 tail. On the sides of the neck begins a line of the same colour, 

 which soon breaks into elongated narrow marks, which towards the 

 middle of the body become confused, broken, and irregular. 



The superior margins of the abdominal plates are tinged with 

 gray or dusky brown. 



The whole of the under surface of head, body, and tail, pale 

 yellow. 



