ON THE SNAKES OF EAST AFRICA. 611 



45. A List of the Snakes of East Africa, North of the 

 Zambesi and South of the Soudan and Somaliland, 

 and of Nyassaland. By Gr, A. Boulengek_, F.R.S., 



F.Z.S.* 



[Received Oetober 4, 1915 : Read November 23, 1915.] 



(Text-figures 1-3.) 



Index. 

 Geographical: Pago 



East Africa, List of Snakes 611 



Systematic : 



Keys to tlie identification of the Snakes of East Africa 611 



This list is the third of a series published in these ' Pro- 

 ceedings ' t, and the reader is referred to the fii'st for an 

 explanation of the method and sco^^e of this aid to the identi- 

 fication of African Snakes. It is convenient to reproduce here 

 text-figures 1 & 2 from the first paper, as a glossary to the terms 

 used in the keys to the genera and species. 



Synopsis of the Families. 



I. Worm-like, witli small inferior mouth, eyes hidden or visible under the head- 

 shields, and body covered with uniform imbricate scales above and beneath. 

 18 scales or more round middle of body ; ocular not bordering the 



mouth ; tail not or but little longer than broad Ttphlopidjj. 



14 scales round middle of body Glauconiidj2. 



II. Mouth large, eyes exposed; body with enlarged shields beneath (except in the 

 marine genus Mydrus). 

 Ventral shields much narrower than the body ; supraocular, if 



distinct, broken up into two or more shields Boid^. 



Ventral shields at least nearly as broad as the body ; supraocular 



single; poison-fangs, if present, not in a very large sheath ... CoLUBEiDiE. 

 Ventral shields at least nearly as broad as the body ; large poison- 

 fangs in a verj^ large sheath below the eye Vipeeid^. 



Family Typhlopid^. 

 A single genus. 



1. Typhlops. 



Schneid. Hist. Amph. ii. p. 339 ; Bouleng. Cat. Sn. i. p. 7. 



* Published by permission of the Trustees of the Briti.sh Museum. 



t 1. "A List of the Snakes of the Belgian and Portuguese Congo, Northern 

 Rhodesia, and Angola," P. Z. S. 1915, p. 193. 2. "A List of the Snakes of 

 Madagascar, Comoro, Mascarenes, and Seychelles," t. c. p. 369. 



