NAJA NIGKICOLLIS. 
323 
feature being most marked on the tail; ventrals pale yellow, rather profusely punctu- 
lated with brown anteriorly, less so posteriorly ; three black transverse bands on the 
under surface of the neck, the first a little way behind the gape, separated from each 
other by yellowish ventrals, the last band being rather obscure. 
This type of coloration, found in snakes from Assuan southwards to the Transvaal, 
has been indicated by Mr. Boulenger as var. mossambica. The var. pallida of the 
same author is " uniform brown above, yellowish beneath ; lower surface of the neck 
brown in the adult ; young with a broad black ring round the neck : " it is seemingly 
distinctive of Somaliland. There is still another variety of coloration which 
Mr. Boulenger has designated forma it/pica, and which is more or less characteristic 
of snakes from Gambia to the interior of E. Africa. He has described it thus : — 
" Dark olive to black above ; lower surface of head and neck black ; subcaudals and 
posterior ventrals black, the remainder black and yellow." 
This species attains to 2000 millim. in length, of which the tail forms 300 millim. 
I met with an example of this species at Assuan, the only one of its kind that has as 
yet been recorded from Egypt, with the exception of the young specimen figured in the 
great French work. It extends over Africa from Senegambia to Eastern Somaliland, 
and from Assuan southwards to Angola and the Transvaal. 
Measurements &c. 
ofN. ni 
gricollis 
Reinh. (in millim 
)• 
Sex. 
Total 
length. 
Tail. 
Ventrals. 
Anal. 
Caudals. 
Scales. 
Upper 
labial 
entering 
orbit. 
Pri£- 
oculars. 
Sub- 
oculars. 
Post- 
oculars. 
Locality. 
9 
920 
145 
194 
1 
53 
23-27 
3rd 
2 
L.l 
R.O 
2 
Shire Valley. 
9 
1095 
189 
196 
1 
61 
23-25 
3rd 
2 

2 
W. Africa. 
9 
1275 
229 
195 
1 
65 
19-22 
3rd 
2 

2 
Bissao. 
9 
1365 
191 
223 
1 
?55 
25-29 
L. 
E. 3 
2 

3 
Assuan. 
The last specimen in the foregoing table is the one figured (Plate XLV.), and it 
will be observed that in it the lower praeocular is very large, apparently due to the 
amalgamation with it of portions of the second and third labials. On the left side of 
the head in the same snake the third labial is excluded from the orbital margin. 
The ventrals among 12 examples of this species recorded by Mr. Boulenger vary 
from 184 to 201, but in the Assuan individual there are as many as 228 ventrals. It 
is also distinguished by having a greater number (29) of scales round the neck than 
has yet been recorded, and by a greater number (25) round the body than any of the 
others, with the exception of one specimen from the Island of Berber. 
2t2 
