tIASIS. 



77 



compressed ; scales small, smooth. Tail moderate or short, not or 

 but very slightly prehensile ; subcaudals aU or greater part in two 

 rows. 



Flores, Timor, Papuasia, North Australia. 



Synopsis of the Species. 



I. Several small loreal shields ; rostral not pitted ; scales in 41 to ' 



45 rows ; ventrals 257-287 ; subcaudals 38-53. 



1. childreni, p. 77. 



II. A single large loreal shield. 



A. Eostral not pitted ; two pairs of praefrontals. 



Scales in 47 to 49 rows ; ventrals 275-291 ; 



subcaudals 65-72 2. fuscus, p. 78. 



Scales in 69 to 75 rows ; ventrals 349-361 ; 



subcaudals 100-102 3. olivaceus, p. 79. 



B. A pit or groove on each side of the rostral. 



1. Two pairs of praefrontals ; scales in 53 to 55 rows ; venbf als 



292-302 ; subcaudals 88-94 4. macMoti, p. 79. 



2. A single pair of praefrontals. 



Scales in 49 to 55 rows ; ventrals 262-284 ; 



subcaudals 62-79 5. alhertisii, p. 80. 



Scales in 65 to 69 rows ; ventrals 358-363 ; 



subcaudals 85-88 6. papuanus, p. 80. 



1. Liasis childreni, (Plate IV. fig. 1.) 



Liasis childreni, Gi-ay, Zool. Miscell. p. 44 (1842) ; Bum. 8f Bibr. 



vi. p. 438 (1844) ; Gray, Cat. p. 92 (1849). 

 Nardoa gUbertii, Gray, Zool. Miscell. p. 45, and Cat. p. 93. 

 Liasis maculosus, Peters, Man. Berl. Ac. 1873, p. 608; Peters ^ 



Doria, Ann. Mus. Genova, xiii. 1878, p. 403 ; F. Muller, Verk. 



nat. Ges. Basel, vii. 1885, p. 677. 



Eostral broader than deep, just visible from above ; internasals a 

 little longer than broad, two thirds to three fifths the length of the 

 anterior praefrontals ; second pair of praefrontals in contact on the 

 middle line or separated by a small shield ; these posterior prae- 

 frontals sometimes broken up into several shields ; frontal about 

 once and a half as long as broad, a little shorter than its distance 

 from the end of the snout ; a pair of short parietals ; three to ten 

 loreal shields, some of which may be almost granular ; two prse- 

 and two to four postoculars; eleven to thirteen upper labials, 

 without pits or with a very feeble one on the first shield ; fifth and 

 sixth, sixth and seventh, or fifth, sixth, and seventh upper labials 

 entering the eye ; three or four of the posterior lower labials 

 deeply pitted. Scales in 41 to 45 rows. Ventrals 257-287 ; anal 

 entire ; subcaudals 38-53. Brown above, with more or less 



