31 



CROTALOPHORUS KIRTLAl^m.—Holbrook. 



Plate VI. 



Characters. Body above black, relieved in places by dusky-brown, and 

 marked with a series of light brown rings on the back, and vertical lines of 

 similar colom- on the flanks, hardly visible in old animals. — PI. 152. Caud. PI. 

 27. Bifid PI. 2. 



Description. The head is large, sub-triangular, broad behind, narrow and 

 truncated in front, and covered with large plates above to the occiput, behind 

 which are small scales. These plates so nearly resemble those of the two last 

 species, that it is unnecessary to describe them here. The nostrils are lateral, 

 near the snout, and the pits between them and the eyes are deep and large. The 

 eyes are bright, the pupil black, elliptical and large; the iris of dark grey, inter- 

 spersed with yellow spots. The neck is contracted and covered above with 

 small, hexagonal, carinated scales. The body is short, robust and covered above 

 with scales of similar form to those of the neck, but much larger and more 

 strongly carinated. The abdominal plates are broad and large. The tail is 

 short, thick, and terminates in an uncertain number of rattles. 



Colour. The whole superior surface of the body and tail is black, more or 

 less relieved in places by dusky-brown, and marked with a series of lighter brown 

 rings along the back, and sometimes vertical lines of the same colour on the 

 flanks; often, however, both the rings and vertical lines are very indistinct, 

 scarcely visible, and then the animal appears entirely black. The tail is always 

 black. 



