208 W. T. Blanford — Notes on some species of Reptiles. [No. 3, 



length, the latter are broader and descend somewhat on to the side of the head 

 so that the upper prseocular is not in contact with the nasal. Vertical hex- 

 agonal, rather longer than broad, occipitals large, rather broad in front, 2 

 prasoeulars, the lower the larger, the higher not reaching the upper surface 

 of the head ; 2 postoculars. Upper labials 6 on one side of the head, 7 on the 

 other, the 3rd and 4th entering the orbit, the last very large. Temporals 

 2, very long, the upper extending the whole length of the occipital, the lower 

 rather shorter. Three pairs of enlarged chin-shields, the posterior separated 

 by a small azygos scale, the second pair the largest, each being in contact 

 with 3 lower labials. All the lower labials very narrow. Colouration : — a 

 narrow white line runs along the back, it is straight on the tail, becomes 

 wavy in the middle of the back, and tends to break up into spots near the 

 head ; sides dark brown with numerous minute elongate white spots tend- 

 ing to form cross bands ; lower parts white, each ventral shield with a dark 

 hinder edge, which frequently expands into irregular spots near the sides ; 

 upper surface of head blackish brown, suture between the occipital shields 

 white, rostral and a broad line running from it over the outer part of the 

 frontals and supraorbitals and across the temporals to the hindermost la- 

 bial, and all the labials themselves, white, whilst a blackish brown band runs 

 from the nostril to the temporals below the white line, and includes the 

 eye. 



§ II. — I had occasion recently to examine the type specimen of 

 Platyceps semifasciatus, Blyth. It is a very young snake and has bitherto 

 been a puzzle to Indian herpetologists, as may be inferred from the following 

 synonymy : 



Platyceps semifasciatus, Blyth, J. A. S. B., 1861, XXIX, p. 114 ; Giinther, Bept. 

 Brit. Ind. p. 237. 



Coluber (Platyceps) semifasciatus, Theobald, Cat. Bept. in appendix to J. A. S. B., 

 1868, XXXVII, p. 52. 



Compsosoma semifasciatum, Stoliczka, J. A. S. B., 1870, XXXIX, p. 188. 



I venture with some diffidence to suggest that it is a young specimen 

 of Zamenis ventrimaculatus, a snake with which I am very well acquainted 

 from having found it abundantly in Persia, but which is not common in 

 India except in the extreme west, and is necessarily not easily recognised 

 in the young state except by one who knows its appearance well. 



§ III. — On comparison of the scinque from Basrah which I described* 

 as AMepJwrus pusillus (A. and M. N. H. July, 1874, XIV, p. 33) with 

 the type specimen in the Indian Museum of the species described by Dr. 

 Stoliczka as Blepliarosteres a gilis, I am disposed to believe that I was wrong 

 in supposing them, on the strength of the descriptions, to be identical. They 



* In this description a serious misprint occurs. The number of scales between 

 the axils should be 36 not 26. 



