LATICAUDA 



235 



and with supraocular; frontal large, much longer than its dis- 

 tance from tip of snout and than the parietals, supraoculars 

 as broad as frontal at the middle ; parietals very short, not 

 longer than broad, much shorter than frontal; nostril large, 

 semilunar, near the middle of the long and narrow undivided 

 nasal; no loreal; one preocular, broadly in contact with nasal; 

 eye rather small, its vertical diameter less than its distance 

 from edge of lip ; two postoculars ; temporals 2 + 3, only slightly 

 differentiated from the adjacent scales; seven supralabials, third 



<:mijasciata (Reinwardt) ; 

 lateral view ; 



after Wall ; a, head, dorsal view ; &, head, 

 c, chin. 



and fourth largest and entering eye, first as wide above as 

 below; seven lower labials, of which the first pair behind the 

 small mental does not reach the edge of the lip, the labials from 

 the third backward very low, only the first three in contact with 

 chin-shields, of which only the anterior pair is clearly differen- 

 tiated, the posterior being represented by two scales separated 

 by one of nearly the same size ; 23 rows of smooth scales without 

 apical pits ; 205 ventrals, on the posterior half of the body by 

 a median blunt keel and a corresponding notch in the posterior 

 edge of each scute ; anal divided ; 40 pairs of subcaudals. 



Color {in alcohol) . — "Bluish gray, darker above, paler under- 

 neath, with 43 dark brown rings around the body and seven on 

 the tail, the bands being widest on the median line of the back, 

 viz, about 3^r scales wide, and there separated by a pale interval 

 only two scales wide; the rings are about 2-^ ventrals wide on 

 the underside and the light intervals about the same width; 

 head uniform dark brown, with a yellowish horseshoe-shaped 

 mark, the convexity of which rests on the prefrontals extending 

 backward on the outer edge of supraoculars, upper postocular 

 and upper temporals to and joining the first pale cross line on 

 occiput a scale row behind the parietals ; snout and labials dark 

 brown like the rest of the head." 



