55 



COLUBER . — Linnseiis. Cuvier, Wagler. 



Genus Coluber. — Characters. Head elongated, distinct from the neck, and 

 covered with plates above; snout rather rounded; eyes large, pupil round; two 

 posterior orbital plates; loral plate single; body elongated, and ribs so articulated 

 with the vertebrae that the animal cannot flatten itself during life; tail generally 

 long, and always with bifid plates or scutellae below. 



Remarks. To avoid the introduction of a useless genus, where the only 

 difference between the animals that I have as yet observed, is in having scales 

 slightly carinated, it will be necessary to arrange the Colubers in two sections — 

 those with smooth scales, and those with scales slightly carinated. 



I. — Colubers with Smooth Scales. 



COLUBER CONSTRICTOR.— Lmw^Ms. 



Plate XL 



Characters. Head oval, long; snout prolonged and rather pointed; body and 

 tail long and slender; colour above, uniform bluish-black; abdomen slate-colour, 

 tinged with blue; chin and throat silver-white, with occasional black spots. PI. 

 176. Sc. 94. 



Synontmes. Black Snake, Catesby, Carol., &c., vol. ii. p. 48, pi. xlviii. 

 Coluber constrictor, Linnseiis, Syst. Nat., torn. i. p. 3S5. 

 Black Snake, Kalni, Trav., Foster's Trans., vol. ii. p. 202. 



