FROM OREGON AND THE WESTERN COAST OF AFRICA. 303 



about sixty oblong transverse golden colored spots on each side ; ground color raven 

 black. Abdominal scuta one hundred and fifty-six ; sub-caudal seventy-eight. 



Descriptio7i. — The head is of moderate size, depressed above ; the temples are 

 somewhat swollen ; the plates upon the upper part of the head, nine in number, do 

 not differ materially from the plates of the Tropidonoti in general ; the canthus 

 rostralis, or that portion of the side of the head situated between the eye and the 

 extremity of the snout, is distinctly, but not so deeply groved as in Psammophis; the 

 nostril is situated between two nasal plates, the anterior larger than the posterior ; 

 there is a small quadrilateral frenal plate ; there are one ant-ocular, and three posterior 

 oculars ; a very small part of the ant-ocular plate is seen upon the surface of the 

 head ; the eye is of moderate size, projecting ; there is a large temporal plate 

 immediately behind the oculars, and posterior to it are four others ; seven plates 

 margin the upper jaw, of which the fifth and the sixth are the largest; neck 

 contracted ; body of moderate length, thicker in the middle ; tail about one-fourth the 

 length of the body. There are seventeen rows of carinated scales. 



Color. — Head light chestnut above, deeper in front; margin of upper jaw, for two 

 thirds of its extent, light olive ; ground color of body and tail above and upon the 

 sides, raven black ; a yellow band, including one row and the half of each adjoining 

 row of scales, extends from the occiput to the tail, along the middle line of the back ; 

 it is continued upon the tail, but there becomes more narrow ; upon each side of the 

 body, just above the inferior row of scales, is a row of about sixty transverse oblong 

 golden colored spots ; one and sometimes two of the intermediate scales is perfectly 

 black; the spots themselves cover about three rows of scales. Abdominal scuta one 

 hundred and fifty-six ; sub-caudal seventy-eight. 



Dimensions. — Length of head 1 inch ; greatest breadth 6 lines ; length of body 2 

 feet 3 inches ; length of tail 5 inches 10 lines ; greatest circumference 2 inches 5 lines ; 

 total length 2 feet 9 inches 10 lines. 



Habitat. — Oregon Territory. A specimen in the Museum of the Academy, presented 

 by Dr. Shumard. The most beautiful of the North American serpents hitherto 

 discovered.* 



DINOPHIS, Hallomell 



Generic Characters. — Form, that of a tree snake; perforated fangs in the anterior 

 part of the upper jaw, immovable ; several of the anterior teeth of the lower jaw longer 

 than the others ; but two rows of teeth in the upper jaw, the exterior row not existing ; 

 two rows in the lower jaw, quite short ; no loral plate ; 4 posterior,! 3 anterior orbital 

 plates; tail long, subcaudal scales bifid. 



* Proceedings of Acad. Nat. Sci., October 26th, 1852. 



t la one of th« Bpecimens there are but three posterior oculara. 



