220 MR. W. T. BLANFORD ON REPTILES [Feb. 1, 



when Dr. Giinther called mj' attention to the dentition, and sug- 

 gested that the species might be a Nymphophidium. On comparing 

 it with the type of N. maculatum in the British Museum, I found a 

 close agreement in all essential characters ; but some differences in 

 the form of the head-shields and in the dentition show, I think, that 

 the species are distinct. 



The pupil in the snake now described is distinctly vertical ; and 

 this character is shown in Jan's figure of Odontomus subannulatus, 

 although it is not mentioned in Dumeril and Bibron's rather meagre 

 description. From Giinther's description of Nymphophidium, it 

 might be inferred that the pupil is round, as it is in Odontomus 

 as restricted by Giinther ; for the two genera are said to agree in every 

 respect except dentition. On examining the type of N. maculatum 

 in the British Museum, however, I find that the pupils are ill- 

 preserved, and their form is not distinguishable ; but in a second 

 specimen, procured from Dr. Bleeker for the same collection, the 

 pupil on one side is slightly elliptical. This very peculiar feature 

 of a vertical pupil has consequently to be added to the generic cha- 

 racters. I find in the present specimen of N. subannulatum two 

 peculiar small conical white tooth-like projections from the base of 

 the skull, as in N. maculatum. They are easily seen at the back of 

 the palate when the mouth is opened freely. 



I add a description of the present snake, Dumeril and Bibron's 

 account being (as already noticed) imperfect. 



Descrij)tio7i. — Body and tail slender, compressed. Head much 

 broader than neck, flat, depressed. Pupil elliptical, vertical. Scales 

 of body but little longer than broad, smooth, in 15 rows. Ventrab 

 230, strongly angulate at the sides ; anal undivided ; subcaudals in 

 97 pairs. Maxillary teeth small and numerous, increasing slightly 

 in size behind ; the last is much larger and compressed, and projects 

 horizontally backwards. 



Head-shields. — Rostral broader than high, scarcely extending to 

 the upper surface of the head. Anterior frontals as long as the 

 posterior, rounded in front, scarcely broader than long. Posterior 

 frontals much broader than long. Vertical elongate, the lateral 

 margins converging and slightly concave, posterior angle acute ; the 

 length of the shield is but little less than that of an occipital ; and 

 the postfrontals and vertical together considerably exceed the occi- 

 pitals in length. Nostril near the middle of a single rectangular 

 shield, succeeded behind by another elongate rectangular shield (the 

 loreal, or loreal and lower prceocular united), which extends to the 

 eye. A small prseocular above the loreal, one postocular '. Tem- 

 porals 2-f-2. Supralabials 7, the third and fourth enter the orbit. 



Colour (in spirit). The anterior portion of the back dark brown, 

 with subdistant pale cross bands, which become closer together 



' In this character the specimen appears to differ from the type, which is 

 figured with two postociilars. But on one side of the present example there is 

 a well-marked groove, if not an imperfect suture, separating the lower posterior 

 portion of the superciliary shield ; and the postocular precisely corresponds to 

 the inferior postorbital of the figure. 



