1893.] 



MB. Q. A. BOtTLENGEB ON VIPERA BENARDI. 



759 



The length of the tail is contained 7^ to 8| times in the total 

 in males, 8 to 10 times in females. 



One of the principal characters which induced Christoph to 

 separate this Snake from V. berus is the absence of sexual 

 differences of colour, a pecuUarity which it shares with V. ursinii. 

 The same author further observes that the sinuous or zigzag 

 dorsal band is nearly always broken up into spots, at least on a 

 considerable portion of the body. The ktter statement is verified 

 on the male from Sarepta before me, but the female, on the other 

 hand, has an uninterrupted zigzag band. Strauch (Syn. Viper. 

 p. 37) also observes : — " Although it is now well known that the 

 numerous colour-varieties of this Snake [F". berus^ are by no 

 means restricted to particular locahties, and therefore cannot be 

 regarded as geographical races, I must nevertheless remark that 

 most of the Transcaspian specimens before me are very Hght, 

 almost sand-coloured, and usually have a longitudinal row of 

 roundish or transverse light chestnut-brown blotches instead of 

 the dorsal band." 



In coloration the Sarepta specimens are very similar to 

 V. ursinii, but they differ in having the labial shields markedly 

 dark-edged. The dorsal band or series of spots is dark brown, 

 edged with blackish ; the ground-colour of the middle of the back 

 and of the scales of the two outer rows on each side is yellowish, 

 of the sides (four rows of scales) greyish-brown with two series of 

 dark brown spots ; the markings on the head as in V, berus and 

 V. ursinii. The lower parts are whitish or pale greyish, with 

 blackish dots, of which there is a series of larger ones along each 

 side of the beUy. 



The specimens from Chinas and the Kirghiz Steppes agree with 

 Strauch's description in being of a pale yellowish sand-colour, with 

 a brown, darker-edged dorsal zigzag baud or series of spots and 



Pboc. Zool. Soc— 1893, No. LI. 51 



