76 BOID^. 



Praemaxillary bone toothed. Anterior maxillary teeth, longest, 

 gradually decreasing in size ; anterior mandibular teeth very large. 

 Head slightly distinct from neck, covered with symmetrical shields ; 

 nostrils lateral, between two small nasals, which are separated from 

 their fellows by a pair of internasals ; some of the lower labials 

 pitted. Eye small, with vertical pupil. Body slightly compressed ; 

 scales moderate, smooth. Tail rather short, conical, not or but 

 shghtly prehensile ; subcaudals mostly in two rows. 



New Ireland. 



1. Nardoa boa. 



Tortrix boa, Schleg. Phys. Serp, ii. p. 22 (1837), and Abbild. pi. xiii. 



(1839). 

 Nardoa schlegelii, Gi'ay, Zool. Miscell. p. 45 (1842) ; Bum. ^ Bibr. 



vi. p. 447 (1844) ; Gray, Cat. p. 93 (1849) ; Jan, Icon. G4n. p. 99, 



1. 7, pi. vi. fig. 2 (1864). 

 boa, F. Milller, Verh. not. Ges. Basel, vii. 1882, p. 168. 



Eostral nearly twice as broad as deep, not visible from above ; 

 internasals broader than long, two fifths to one third the length of 

 the praefrontals ; latter, one pair ; frontal as long as broad or a little 

 longer than broad ; two pairs of parietals ; a small loreal ; a very 

 large preeocular ; two postooulars ; ten to twelve upper labials, two 

 or three of which enter the eye ; three or four of the posterior lower 

 labials pitted. Scales in 35 to 38 rows. Ventrals 245-267 ; anal 

 entire ; subcaudals 47-52. Young with alternate black and orange 

 rings; adult brown with black rings, or nearly uniform blackish 

 brown ; head black, with a light spot behind the eye. 



Total length 950 millim. ; tail 120. 



New Ireland. 



a, h, c, d^f. Ad. (V. 251, Duke of York Is. Rev. G. Brown [0.]. 



252, 267; 0. 52, ?, ?) 



& yg. (V. 248, 246, 



245; 0.50,48,51). 

 g. Ad., skel. Duke of York Is. Rev. G. Brown [0.]. 



3. LIASIS. 



Liasis, Gray, Zool. Miscell. p. 44 (1842). 



Nardoa, part., Gray, I. c. p. 45, and Cat. Sn. p. 98 (1849). 



Liasis, part., Bum. Sf Bibr. Erp. Gin. vi. p. 431 (1844) ; Gray, Cat. 



p. 91 ; Jan, Icon. Gen. Ophid. p. 98 (1864). 

 Lisalia, Gray, Cat. p. 92. 

 Leiopython, Subreeht, Notes Leyd. Mus. i. 1879, p. 14. 



Prsmaxillary bone toothed. Anterior maxillary and mandibular 

 teeth very long, gradually decreasing in size. Head distinct from 

 neck, covered with symmetrical shields ; nostrils supero-lateral, in 

 a large semidivided nasal, which is separated from its fellow by a 

 pair of internasals ; rostral and upper labials without or with 

 shallow pits ; some of the lower labials pitted. Eye moderate or 

 rather small, with vertical pupil. Body cylindrical or slightly 



