COLUBER GIRUNDICUS.— COL. MONSPESSULANUS. 225 



Coluber Girundicus. 



Coluber Girundicus, Cuvier, Reg. Ann. 

 Coronella Girundica, Dcm. et Bib. vol. vii. p. 612. 

 Coluber Eiccioli?, Buon. Faun. Ital. (figured?). 

 La Bordelaise, Daudin. 



Description. — Besembles the C. Austriacus, but may be 

 distinguished from it — 1st, by having eight labial plates ; 

 2nd, by the form of its rostral plate, which comes up but 

 little upon the muzzle, where it ends in a very obtuse 

 angle ; 3rd, by its colouring, having but one row of black 

 transverse spots along the back ; 4th, because in most 

 of the ventral and subcaudal plates one-half is black, and 

 they are either alternate or opposite. Teeth, same as in 

 the preceding species ; the scales are smooth, hexagonal, 

 or rhomboid, imbricated, in twenty-one longitudinal lines ; 

 ventral plates, 174 to 190 ; subcaudal, sixty- two to sixty- 

 four pairs ; the tail ends in a horny point. General colour 

 of the upper parts ash-grey ; belly yellowish, with four- 

 sided black spots. 



Entire length, under 2 feet. 



Is said to be easily tamed, and to frequent vineyards and 

 hilly places more than plains. 



Inhabits the South of France, where M. Crespon relates 

 that it is not uncommon in the Department du Gard. 



Coluber Monspessulanus. 



Coluber Monspessulanus, Schinz, Europ. Faun. vol. ii. p. 49 ; Buon. 

 Faun. Ital. (figured). 



Description. — Head long, much compressed, concave to- 

 wards the forehead ; the muzzle is blunt, and projects a 

 good deal beyond the lower jaw ; the opening of the mouth 

 extends back far behind the eyes, which are placed over 

 its centre ; they are large, and overhung by the plates of 

 the head; occipital plate longer than wide, truncated at 



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