336 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES [Proc. 4th Ser. 



Suggestions to Future Students 



Future collectors in these islands should strive to secure 

 specimens of the snake of Chatham Island, if such there be. 

 Doubtless, it will prove to be a most interesting new species. 

 Duncan Island is one of the most difficult to understand of 

 all the islands of the archipelago. Its snakes are represented 

 in collections only by a single specimen of D. slevini, although 

 there can be little doubt that a larger species, probably with 

 two scale-pits, remains to be found there. Other specimens 

 of D. slevini have been seen on Duncan Island ; and, since these 

 agreed perfectly in coloration with the type, it is almost certain 

 that additional specimens from Duncan, Albemarle, and Nar- 

 borough will show that more than one species is here referred 

 to D. slevini. Many more specimens of D. steindachneri also 

 are needed. Much remains to be learned of the larger snakes 

 of Albemarle, which now are known from only one or two 

 specimens. Dr. Boulenger writes me that the British Museum 

 has a specimen with 222 gastrosteges, which is said to have 

 been collected at Tagus Cove. I am inclined to doubt the 

 correctness of this label; but if no error has crept in, there 

 must be more than one species with two scale-pits in this 

 island. The question then arises : Is there in Albemarle a 

 distinct race of snake on each of the five principal mountains, 

 as there is of tortoise? The answer must be based on many 

 specimens yet to be collected. The question of the necessity 

 of further division of Dromicus dorsalis also remains for 

 future collectors to solve. 



Discussion of the Species 

 Dromicus biserialis (Giinther) Charles Island Snake 



1860, Herpetodryus biserialis Gunther, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1860, 

 p. 97 (type locality Charles Island). 



1869, Dromicus chamissonis Gunther, Zool. Record, 1869, p. 115 (part) ; 

 Boulenger, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus., II, 1894, p. 119 (part). 



1876, Herpetodryas dorsalis, Steindachner, Festschr. Zool.-bot. Ges. 

 Wien., 1876, p. 304 (err). 



