5 and 1 juv. 
Assuan. 
£ and 1 ? . 
Wadi Haifa. 
juv. 
Tokar. 
ZAMENIS FLOEULENTUS. 257 
Body somewhat slender and elongate ; head rather long ; snout long, obtusely 
rounded ; eye moderately large ; rostral considerably broader than high, the part 
visible from above equal to one-fourth or more of the interval between the rostral and 
the frontal ; internasals nearly as broad as long, triangular, truncated anteriorly, forming 
a more or less transverse suture with the prefrontals ; prefrontals longer than the 
internasals ; frontal as long or slightly longer than the distance between its anterior 
border and the tip of the snout, its anterior breadth equals about two-thirds of its length, 
its anterior breadth much broader than a supraocular ; parietals shorter than the conjoint 
lengths of the frontal and prefrontals, obliquely truncated posteriorly ; lorenl longer 
than deep; one prseocular, in contact with the frontal, rarely two asymmetrically; 
one subocular, exceptionally two or three ; two postoculars, exceptionally three ; 
nine upper labials, rarely ten, generally the fifth and sixth entering the orbital 
margin, occasionally the sixth and seventh; temporals 2 + 2 or 2 + 3; four lower 
labials, usually in contact with the first chin-shield ; posterior chin-shields as long or 
longer than the anterior pair, very narrow, and separated by scales. 21 rows of 
smooth scales, exceptionally 23. Ventrals 201-228, laterally angulate ; anal 1/1 ; 
subcaudals 82-104. 
Olive-brown above, nape and anterior part of the body with narrow transverse dark 
bands prolonged downwards on to the sides, not unfrequently more or less interrupted 
in the mesial line, and anteriorly separated from each other by interspaces about half 
their antero-posterior breadth ; further back they assume the character of brown rounded 
spots arranged quincuncially, but frequently the last fourth of the snake is uniform 
olive. Upper surface of the head generally with a series of dark transverse markings, 
sometimes edged with white, a prominent one across the anterior part of the parietals 
to the temporal region, from which a dark irregular marking passes to the angle of the 
mouth ; a dark band below the eye, more or less developed ; centres of labials dusky. 
Under surface yellowish or coral-red, each ventral generally with a black spot on its 
angle, these spots becoming feeble on the hinder part of the body. Sometimes the 
entire upper surface of the snake is nearly uniform brown. 
It attains to a length of 1090 millim., of which the tail forms 220 millim. 
This is probably the most common serpent in Egypt. It is found on the margin of 
the desert and on the alluvium, and in and about villages, entering the houses. 
It extends along the Nile valley from the sea-face of the delta to Sennaar. It 
has been recorded from Cyrenaica in the west. Parenti and Picaglia mention its 
occurrence on the coast of the Eed Sea, at Aden x ; but the correctness of their identifi- 
cation seems doubtful. 
1 Eett. ed Anf. Mar Eosso, 1886, p. 45. 
2L 
