Vol. I] VAN DENBURGH— SNAKES OF THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS 325 



Bibron considered it identical with a Chilian species. It was 

 so regarded until 1860, when Giinther, in the Proceedings of 

 the Zoological Society of London, pointed out certain differ- 

 ences between the mainland and the Galapagos snakes, and 

 named this Charles Island specimen Herpetodryas hiserialis. 



In 1869, Peters recorded a specimen in the Museum of 

 Stockholm, collected in the Galapagos by Dr. Kinberg, as 

 identical with the mainland Dromictis chamissonis. Giinther 

 in the Zoological Record for 1869, remarks that he "can con- 

 firm Professor Peters's observations, having now seen a series 

 of examples of this snake from these islands. There were two 

 varieties, one very similar to the common continental form, 

 the other identical with the snake described by him from a 

 young specimen under the name of Herpetodryas hiserialis. 

 Some examples were intermediate between the varieties, so 

 that there is no doubt about their specific identity. The syn- 

 cranterian character of the dentition is not well developed in 

 this species." 



The Hassler expedition secured no snakes in the Galapagos 

 Islands, but one was seen upon Jervis Island, in June, 1872. 



Stiil later. Dr. Steindachner secured for the Vienna Museum 

 five snakes which Dr. Habel had collected in the Galapagos 

 Archipelago in 1868, and which, he says, are the specimens to 

 which Dr. Giinther referred in his note in the Zoological Rec- 

 ord for 1869. These specimens showed two types of colora- 

 tion—spotted and striped— and Dr. Steindachner regarded 

 them as two varieties of the continental Dromicus chamissonis. 

 The spotted form he called Dromicus chamissonis var. dorsalis, 

 while the striped specimens were named Dromicus chamissonis 

 var. hahelii. These snakes were said to have been found on 

 Indefatigable, Hood, Charles and Jervis islands ; but the gas- 

 trostege counts given by Dr. Steindachner, and his description 

 of the post oculars and temporals, differ from the conditions 

 found in the snakes of Charles and Hood islands to an extent 

 which enables us to say that his specimens must have come 

 from Indefatigable or Jervis. 



No other names have been proposed for Galapagos snakes. 

 As the years have passed, and snakes have been found on 

 Charles, Hood, James, Jervis, Barrington, Indefatigable, Albe- 

 marle, and Narborough islands, authors have sometimes 



