88 



As I have already stated, this Snake was first figured by White in 

 the Appendix to his ' Journ. N. S. Wales ;' then we find it again 

 in the ' Erpetologie generale,' p. 1220, as Elaps occipitalis* . The 

 description is short, and limited only to the coloration ; nothing is 

 said of the scales, shields, or plates, which are so remarkable ; the 

 native country is stated to be Rio de Janeiro ; and one specimen is 

 doubtfully mentioned as having been procured in New Holland. From 

 this description I was led to consider^, occipitalis, D. & B., as a spe- 

 cies closely allied io Elaps corallinus (Catal. p. 234), and to describe 

 the true E. occipitalis as a new form, for which I accepted the deno- 

 mination of Vermicella annulata, written by Dr. Gray on the bottle 

 containing the snakes. 



Whether the ground-colour of this snake is red, as in the South 

 American species, or white, still remains a question. White, who 

 probably saw the animal alive, figures it as white, and does not 

 mention it as being red. 



D. PcECILOPHIS. 



Elapidce with slender and cylindrical body, with very short tail, and 

 with depressed head, not distinct from neck. No other tooth behind, 

 the fang ; fifteen rows of scales ; anal entire ; one nasal, pierced by 

 the nostril ; six upper labials ; one anterior, and one posterior ocular. 

 Ornamental colours distributed in irregular spots. 



African region. 



1. PcECILOPHIS HYGI^ (Schleg.). 



Coluber lacteus, L. Mus. Ad. Frid. t. 18. f. 1. 

 Elaps hygice, Schleg. Ess. p. 446, pi, 16. f. 14, 15 ; Dum. & Bibr. 

 p. 1213. 

 S. Africa. 



2. PcECILOPHIS DORSALis (Smith). 



Elaps dorsalis, Smith, Illustr. Zool. S. Afr. App. p. 21. 

 S. Africa. 



Dumeril, in the * Erpetologie generale,' continues to place that 

 unfortunate species of Merrem, Elaps lubriciis, figured by Seba (ii. 

 34. 4; 43.3; 62. 4), with the South American species E. lemnis- 

 catus in front, and with the Australian Vermicella occipitalis ht- 

 hind. It is placed in the genus Naja, first with the strange name of 

 N. sommersetta, by Smith, and in more recent times as N . fida-fula, 

 by Biauconi. Merrem's figure (Beitr. p. 9, pi. 2) is very easy to be 

 recognized ; but the description is incorrect in several points. Schlegel 

 properly separates it from Elaps, and replaces it in Naja, according 

 to his system. In the ' Illustrations of the Zoology of S. Africa,' by 

 A. Smith, it is mentioned under two names, — first as Aspidelaps lubri- 

 cus, and then as Cyrtophis scutatus. After having been thus strongly 

 recommended as the type of a new genus, it is referred, after all, in 



* I am indebted, for the identification of this species with Vermicella annulata, 

 to Professor Jan, who has recently visited the British and Parisian collections. 



