116 BRACHYORRHOS AM^NUS. 



The occipital are pentagonal and very large, covering nearly one-half of the 

 superior surface of the head; the frontal are irregularly pentagonal, and form the 

 superior and anterior part of the orbit of the eye, broad, and most extensive 

 transversely; the anterior frontal are small and oblong. The rostral is very short, 

 rounded above and concave below; the nasal plate is single, quadrilateral, and 

 very large; there is no loral plate. The anterior orbital is large, and a paral- 

 lelogram in form; the posterior is pentagonal, and much smaller; and behind this 

 are two oblong-square temporal plates, the anterior largest; the inferior wall of 

 the orbit is completed by the third and fourth labials, of which plates there are 

 five, the two anterior quadrilateral, the third and fourth pentagonal and larger, 

 the fifth quadrilateral and largest of all. 



The nostrils are small, lateral, near the snout, and open a little upwards, near 

 the anterior part of the nasal plate. The eyes are small and exposed, the pupil 

 black, with the iris dusky. The neck is not contracted. 



The body is cylindrical, robust for the size of the animal, rounded above, 

 flattened below, and covered with small, smooth, sub-hexagonal scales above, 

 and with plates beneath. The tail is short, thick, conical, and ends in a horny 

 point. 



Colour. The whole superior surface of the animal, head, body, and tail, is of 

 uniform very light chestnut-brown, opalescent in certain lights; the abdomen is 

 bright salmon-colour. 



Dimensions. Length of head, 5 lines; length of body to vent, 8 inches; length 

 of tail beyond vent, 2 inches: total length, 10 inches 5 lines. In the specimen 

 here described, there were 120 abdominal plates, the anal broad and double, and 

 35 sub-caudal bifid plates. 



Habits. This serpent is mostly found under the bark of old trees, or under 

 rocks, where small insects abound, on which it feeds. 



