16 ' COLTTBElDiE. 



present. Body cylindrical ; scales striated and keeled, without pits^ 

 in 23 to 29 rows ; ventrals rounded. Tail moderate, sUglitly 

 compressed ; subcaudals in two rows. 

 South-eastern Asia ; North Australia. 



Synopsis of the Species, 



Pour lower labials in contact with the anterior 



chin-shields ; scales very strongly keeled, in 



23 to 27 rows ; ventrals 132-160 1. rhyndhops,^. 16.. 



Three lower labials in contact with the anterior 



chin-shields ; scales moderately keeled, in 



25 rows ; ventrals 148-149 2. australis, p. 18. 



Three (rarely four) labials in contact with the 



anterior chin-shields ; scales rather feebly 



keeled, in 29 rows ; ventrals 163-165 . . 3. microlepis, p. 18. 



1. Cerberus rhynchops. 



Mussell, Ind. Serp. i. pi. xvii. (1796), and ii. pi. xl. (1801). 



Hydrus rhynchops, Schneid. Hist. Amph. i. p. 246 (1799). 



Elaps boseformis, Schneid. op. cit. ii. p. 301 (1801). 



Hydrus cinei-eus, Shaw, Zool. iii. p. 567 (1802). 



Hurria schneideriana, Daud. Rept. v. p. 281 (1803). 



Coluber cerberus, Daud. op. cit. vii. p. 167 (1803). 



Python rhynchops, Mar. Tent. p. 90 (1820). 



Homalopsis cerberus, Fitzing. N. Class. Kept. p. 65 (1826). 



molurus, Boie, Isis, 1826, p. 213. 



sehneideri, Schleg. Phys. Serp. ii. p. 341, pi. xiii. fie-s. Q & T 



(1837). 



Cerberus cinereus, Cantor, Free. Zool. Soc. 1839, p. 54; Grav, Cat 

 p. 64 (1849). 



Homalopsis rhynchops. Cantor, Cat. Mai. Fept. p. 94 (1847). 



Cerberus cinereus, part.. Gray, Cat. p. 64. 



acutus, Oray, I. c. p. 65. 



unicolor, Gray, I. c. 



boseformis, jDum. §• Bibr. vii. p. 978 (1854). 



Homalopsis boseformis, Jan, Elenco, p. 77 (1863), and Arch Zool 

 Anat. Phys. iii. 1866, p. 267. 



Cerberus rhynchops, Gunth. Fepf. Frit. Ind. p. 279 (1864) ; Anders. 

 Proc. Zool. Soc. 1871, p. 179 ; T/ieob. Cat. Fept. Frit. Ind. p. 185 

 (1876) ; Murray, Zool. Sind, p. 381 (1884) ; Foulenu. Faun. Ind., 

 Rept. p. 374 (1890). ' 



Eostral nearly as deep as broad ; frontal shield distinct or broken up 

 into small shields ; loreal usually in contact with the three or four 

 anterior labials and with the internasal ; nasal cleft extending to 

 the first upper labial, rarely to the second ; eye between four to six 

 shields, viz. a supraocular, a prseocular, one or two postoculars, and 

 one, two, or three suboculars ; nine or ten upper labials, posterior 

 transversely divided ; four lower labials in contact with the anterior 

 chin-shields ; posterior chin-shields smaller and wedged in between. 

 the anterior and the labials. Scales very strongly keeled, in 23 oir 



