APPENDIX F. REPTILES. 197 



Desc. — Head proportionally large, ovoid, distinct from the body. 

 Snout pointed. Occipital plates small. Vertical broad, subpentagonal, 

 slightly concave on the sides. Superciliaries large. Internal postfront- 

 als rather narrow, elongated ; external postfrontals quadrilateral, a little 

 broader forwards. Prefrontals irregularly quadrangular. Rostral very 

 narrow, extending halfway between the prefrontals, convex and raised 

 above the surface of the snout. Nostrils in the middle line between the 

 nasals, the posterior of which is a little the smaller. Loral trapezoidal, 

 proportionally large. Inferior anteorbital very small, resting upon the 

 fourth upper labial. Postorbitals varying in comparative size. Tempo- 

 ral shields small, resembling scales. Upper labials 8 ; 6th and 7th the 

 larger. Lower labials 12 ; 6th and 7th largest. Posterior mental shields 

 very small, extending to opposite the junction of the 7th and 8th lower 

 labials. Scales proportionally small, in 33-35 rows, the 7 outer ones 

 perfectly smooth and somewhat larger than the remaining rows. 



Ground color yellowish brown, with three series of dorsal black 

 blotches, 53 in number, from the head to opposite the anus, with 12 on 

 the tail, in the shape of transverse bars. Those of the medial series the 

 larger, and covering 8 or 9 rows of scales. On the anterior part of the 

 body they are subcircular, embracing longitudinally four scales ; poste- 

 riorly they become shorter by one scale. The light spaces between are 

 a little narrower than the blotches themselves for the twelve anterior 

 blotches, and wider than the blotches for the remaining length of the 

 body. The blotches of the adjoining series alternate with those of the 

 medial series, being opposite to the light intermediate spaces across 

 which the blotches of either sides are generally united by a transverse 

 narrow band. The flanks are densely covered with small and irregular 

 blotches, forming three indistinct series, confluent in vertical bars towards 

 the origin of the tail. Inferior surface of the head yellowish, unicolor. 

 Abdomen dull yellow, with crowded brownish black blotches in series 

 on the extremity of the scutellse. 



Two specimens of this species were caught the 28 th of June. The 

 largest is figured, of natural size, on Plate V. It is 38^ inches in length ; 

 the tail measuring nearly 5 inches. Abdominal scutellae 231 ; subcau- 

 dal ones, 52. 



V. SCOTOPHIS, B. & G. 



The scales in this genus are very slightly carinated on the back, and 

 perfectly smooth on the sides. Preanal scutella bifid. One large ante- 



