866 Qff Alf ELAPOID SNAKE. [Dec, 3, 



I have much pleasure in bringing it before the notice of the 

 Society. 



There can be no doubt the genus is vaHd, and perhaps more nearly- 

 allied to the Australian forms associated under Hoploeephalus and 

 Diemenia than to any of the African genera. Among the latter, 

 it comes nearest to Elapsoidea, which differs in having slightly 

 oblique scales and a very short tail. It differs from Naia in the 

 disposition of the scales, which are not oblique, and in the further 

 extension forwards of the palatine bones ; from Walterinnesia in 

 the latter character, and in the position of the nostril, which is 

 not bordered by the internasal shield. 



The genus and species may be defined as follows : — 



BOTILENGEEIIfA. 



DoUo, Bull. Mus. Belg. iv. 1886, p. 159. 



Maxillary bone extending forwards as far as the palatine, with 

 a pair of large grooved fangs, followed by three or four small solid 

 teeth; mandibular teeth, anterior longest. Head not distinct 

 from neck ; eye small, with round pupil ; nostril between two 

 nasals ; no loreal. Body cylindrical ; scales smooth, without pits, 

 in 21 rows ; ventrals rounded. Tail moderate ; subcaudals in . 

 two rows. 



BOULENGEEINA STOEMSI. (Plate XLVIII.) 

 Dollo, I. c. 



Head scarcely depressed ; snout rounded, not prominent, with- 

 out canthus ; eye scarcely longer than its disiance from the 

 mouth. Bostral nearly as deep as broad, the portion visible from 

 above measuring half its distance from the frontal ; internasals 

 shorter and a little broader than the prsefrontals, extensively in 

 contact with the prseocular ; frontal small, slightly longer than 

 broad, as broad as the supraocular, as long as its distance from 

 the rostral, slightly more than halt the length of the parietals ; 

 posterior nasal in contact with the single praeocular ; two post- 

 oculars ; temporals 1 + 2; seven upper labials, third and fourth 

 entering the eye, fourth, fifth, and sixth in contact with the lower 

 postocular, third and sixih deepest; ; four lower labials in contact 

 with the anterior chin-shields, which are much longer than the 

 posterior. Scales not oblique, in 21 rows. Ventrals 193 ; anal 

 entire ; subcaudals 67. Brown above ; four black cross-bars on the 

 nape and neck, the second and third forming complete rings, 

 followed by five iri-egular black spots ; further back, the body 

 darker brown with the scales black-edged ; tail black ; belly white 

 anteriorly, brown further back, with the shields black-edged, 

 blackish brown towards the tail. 



The specimen measures 240 millim., in which the tail enters for 

 85. It is young, as indicated by the umbilical fissure ; the species 

 therefore reaches a size at least equal to that of the Indian Cobra. 



