234 COLTJBEIDJS. 



%id Yarh. Miss., Rept. p. 23 (1878) ; W. L. Sclater, Joum. As. Soc. 



Beng. Ix. 1891, p. 240. 

 Tropidonotus tantalus, Eichw. I. c. p. 173. 



gracilis, Eichw. I. c. 



Coluber reticulatus, Minitr. Cat. Rais. p. 71 (1832). 

 Natrix gabina, Bonap. Faun. Ital. (1832). 



tessellata, Bonap. I.e. (1834). 



Tropidonotus viperinus, part., Schleg. Fhys. 8erp. ii. p. 325, pi. xii. 



figs. 14 & 15 (1837) ; Bum. f Bibr. Vn. p. 560 (1854). 

 Coluber (Tropidonotus) elapboides, Brandt, Bull. Ac. St. PMersh. iii. 



1838, p. 242. 

 Tropidonotus scutatus {non Pall.), Eichw. Faun. Casp.-Cauc. p. 108, 



pi. xxiii. 

 tessellatus, Berthold, in Wagn. Meise n. Kolchis, p. 335 (1850) ; 



Jan, Arch. f. Nat. 1859, p. 274 ; Jeitteles, Verh. zool.-bot. Ges. 



Wien, xii. 1862, p. 283 ; Peters, Mon. Berl. Ac. 1863, p. 534 ; Jan, 



Arch. Zool. Anat. Phys. iii. 1865, p. 219 ; Noll, Zool. Gart. 1869, 



p. 299 ; Fatio, Vert. Suisse, iii. p. 165, pi. i. (1872) ; Steind. Verh. 



zool.-bot. Ges. Wien, xxiv. 1874, p. 479 ; De Betta, Faun. Ital, 



Rett. Anf. p. 47 (1874) ; Schreib. Herp. Eur. p. 231 (1875) ; Boeltg. 



Ber. SencJc. Ges. 1879-80, p. 160 ; Bedriaga, Bull. Soe. Nat. Mosc. 



1881, p. 290 ; Ley dig, Abh. Sench. Ges. xiii. 1883, p. 174 ; Boettg. 



in Radde, Faun. Casp.-Geb. p. 71 (1886) ; Noll, Zool. Gart. 1888, 



p. 242 ; Boettg. Zool. Jahrb. iii. 1888, p. 934 ; Camerano, Mon. Ofid. 



Ital., Colubr. p. 23 (1891) ; Mihely, Beitr. Mon. Kronstadt, Herp. 



p. 35 (1892). 

 angusticeps, part., Blyth, Joum. As. Soc. Beng. xxiii. 1855, 



p. 295. 

 tessellatus, var. flavescens, Werner, Verh. zool.-bot. Ges. Wien, 



xii. 1891, p. 766. 



Eye rather small. Eostral broader than deep, visible from 

 above ; nasal usually semidivided ; internasals usually as long 

 as broad or longer, subtriangular, truncate in front, as long or 

 nearly as long as the prsefrontals ; frontal once and a half to twice 

 as long as broad, as long as or a little shorter than its distance from 

 the end of the snout, shorter than the parietals ; loreals as deep as 

 long or longer ; two (rarely one or three) prseoculars, with or without 

 a small subocular below ; three postoculars, often vd-th one or two 

 suboetilars below ; temporals 1 + 2 ; eight (rarely seven) upper 

 labials ; fourth (third) or fourth and fifth entering the eye ; five 

 (rarely four) lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields, 

 which are shorter than the posterior. Scales strongly keeled, of 

 outer row smooth or feebly keeled, in 19 rows. Ventrals 160-197 ; 

 anal divided ; subcaudals 48-86. Olive or olive-grey above, uniform 

 or with dark spots usually arranged quincunciaUy ; a more or less 

 distinct A-shaped dark band on the nape ; upper labials yellowish, 

 with dark sutures ; lower parts yellow or red, marbled or checkered 

 with black, or nearly entirely black. 



Total length 1058 millim. ; tail 200. 



Italy, Switzerland south of the Alps, Middle Ehine and MoseUe 

 Valleys, Bohemia, and the whole of South-eastern Europe ; South- 

 western and Central Asia. 



