758 ME. G. A. BOULEITGEE ON VIPEEA EENAEDI. [DeC. 5, 



ViPEEA EENAEDI. (Plate LXIV.) 



Pelias renardi, Christoph, Bull. Mosc. xxxiv. 1861, ii. p. 599. 

 Vipera herus, part., Strauch, Syn. Viper, p. 32 (1869) ; and Schl. 

 Russ. E. p. 206 (1873). 



Vipera renardi, Bouleng. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1893, p. 598. 



Snout obtusely pointed, as in V. ursinii ; canthus rostralis 

 angular and raised, the upper surface of the snout thereby 

 concave. Horizontal diameter of the eye equal to its distance 

 from the centre or the anterior border of the nostril ; its vertical 

 diameter equal to or a little less than its distance from the oral 

 border. jVostril pierced in the lower half of the nasal shield, which 

 is not larger than the eye. The three sincipital shields usually 

 well developed; in two spec'mens (from Chinas and Kunges) 

 the parietals are broken up into scales, and in a third (from Kuldja) 

 the frontal is besides small and irregular, being separated from 

 the right supraocular by two series of scales ; it is therefore 

 probable that, as in V. herus, specimens will be found with 

 the vertex covered with small scales. But when the shields 

 are well developed they differ from those of V. herus and 

 agree better with those of V. ursinii. The frontal is once and 

 two-thirds to twice and one-third as long as broad, usually longer 

 than the parietals ; its length at least equals, usually exceeds, its 

 distance from the end of the snout ; it is separated from the 

 supraocular by an elongate shield or by two or three small 

 shields. The rostral is as broad as deep or a little deeper than 

 broad and its tip is in contact with a single apical shield, which, 

 together ^vith the two cauthals on each side, forms the raised upper 

 border of the snout; two to six praefrontal scales within the 

 latter ; the upper praeocular is usually in contact with the nasal ; 

 either a single series of scales between the eye and the labials, or 

 two series except under the centre of the eye, which is separated 

 from the fourth labial by a single scale ; nine or ten upper labials, 

 fourth or fourth and fifth below the eye; nine or ten (in one 

 specimen eleven) scales round the eye. 



The scales on the body form 21 longitudinal series, exceptionally 

 19, as in F. hems, strongly keeled, the outer smooth or feebly 

 keeled. According to the numbers given by Strauch (Schl. Euss. 

 E. p. 279, specs. 1019-1027), the ventrals vary from 138 to 150, 

 the subcaudals from 27 to 34. Christoph describes the male as 

 with 141 ventrals and 36 subcaudals, the female with 139 ventrals 

 and 34 subcaudals. My specimens have 130 to 148 ventrals and 

 31 to 36 subcaudals in the males, 137 to 142 ventrals and 24 to 

 30 subcaudals in the females \ as shown in the foUoA\TJig table : — 



' (P.S. 23-1-94). — I have now counted the shields in 52 specimens (15c?, 

 37 2) of V. ursinii, and 118 (56 c?, 62 J) of V. berus. The variation in the 

 former species is 120-135 v., 30-37 c. in S , 125-142 v., 20-28 e. in 9 ; in the 

 latter, 134-150 v., 3a^6 c. in c?, 135-158 v., 26-36 c. in $.— G. A. B. 



