812 EEPTILIA. 



over the neck broad, and another, a narrow one, oyer the base of the occipi- 

 tals. The black included between these two yellow lines has the form and shape of 

 the head, and as each posterior frontal has a crescentic yellow spot at its inner and 

 posterior margin, the marked appearance of the head is produced. The black 

 collar does not pass on to the ventral shields, but a narrow black well-defined 

 lateral band runs backwards over the fourth row of scales to the end of the taiL 

 There are three longitudinal rows of minute black dots on the scales below this line 

 which defines the olive-brown of the back from the yellow of the hinder parts. 

 The most ventral line of dots runs along the angles of the ventral shields. A ver- 

 tebral series of black dots, each dot separated by an interval of two or three scales. 

 They become very minute on the hinder part of the trunk and on the tail. 



Genus Coluber, Giinther. 

 Coluber porphyraceus. Cantor. 



Cohher porpJiymceus, Cantor, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1839, p. 51; Giinth., Kept. B. Ind., 1864, p. 239, 

 pi. XX, fig. 1; Anders., Proc. Zool. Soe., 1871, p. 172; Theobald, Descr. Cat. Rept. Brit. Ind., 

 1876, p. 163. 



Fsammophis nigrofasciatus , Cantor, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1839, p. 53, juv. 



Coronella calUcephahcs, Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 1853, vol. xii, p. 390; Bljth, Journ. As. 

 Soc, Bengal, vol. xxiii, 1855, p. 289, 



Coluher callicephalus, Gunth., Cat. Col. Snakes, 1858, p. 92. 



Two of the three specimens brought from Western China were procured at 

 Momien and show scarcely any difference except in size, the one being twice the* 

 length of the other. They have the rostral twice as broad as high ; the anterior 

 f rentals rounded in front, broader than long and half the size of the posterior pair. 

 Lateral margins convergent, hinder ones meeting at an acute angle. Occipitals 

 large, transversely truncated behind. Nostril between two nasals. Loreal rather 

 small and elongate. One preocular just reaching on to the upper surface of the 

 head, touching the vertical on one side, but not on the other. Two postoculars, the 

 upper about four times larger than the lower, which is over the suture of the fifth and 

 sixth labials. Temporals 1 -|- 2. The anterior in contact with upper postocular 

 anteriorly, and with two oblong temporals behind. The occipital in contact with 

 upper postocular nearly throughout its whole length. Upper labials eight; the 

 fourth and fifth entering the orbit. The first lower labials form a suture behind 

 the mental. Two pairs of chin-shields; the anterior pair in contact with four 

 labials and about twice the size of the posterior pair. Dentition : 16 upper, 16 

 lower jaw. 



Length o£ larger specimen 23-50; head 0*57; tail 3*66 inches, 

 lesser „ 11 „ 046; „ 1-57 „ 



The ventrals are 195 and the sub-caudals 55 in the larger, and there are 197 

 ventrals and 57 sub-caudals in the lesser specimen. 

 The scales in both are ranged in 19 rows. 



