248 



COIUBRIDiE. 



anterior temporal. Body cylindrical; scales smooth, -without pits, 

 in 17 rows ; ventrals rounded. Tail very short, obtuse ; subcaudals 

 in two rows. 

 Tropical Africa. 



.1. Xenocalamus hicolor. 

 Xenocalamus bicolor, Giinth. I. c. p. 415, pi. xix. fig. A. 



Upper portion of rostral nearly half as long as the frontal, which 

 is extremely large and more than half as long as the shielded part 

 of the head ; internasals large, forming a short median suture ; 

 supraocular very narrow ; a large, elongate prssoeular, in contact 

 with the posterior nasal, the internasal, the frontal, and the third 

 labial ; a minute poatocular ; a single temporal ; six upper labials, 

 iirst very small, third and fourth entering the eye, fifth very large 

 and in contact with the parietal ; third lower labial extremely large ; 

 a single pair of narrow chin-shields, in contact with three lower 

 labials. Scales in 17 rows. Ventrals 218 ; anal divided ; sub- 

 caudals 24. Black above ; upper lip, two outer rows of scales, and 

 lower parts white. 



Total length 430 millim. ; tail 30. 



Zambesi, 



a. 2 (V. 218 ; C. 24). Zambesi. Mr. Chapman [C.]. (Type.) 



2. Xenocalamus mechovii. 



Xenocalamus mechowii, Peters, Sitzb. Ges. Naturf. Fr. 1881, p. 147 ; 

 Soetig. Ber. Senck. Ges. 1888, p. 47. 



As in the preceding, but supraoculars absent and usually two 

 postoculars instead of one. Ventrals 229-239 ; anal divided ; sub- 

 caudals 31-36. Yellowish, with large dark brown spots above ; 

 some of these spots are disposed in alternating, partly confluent 

 pairs, others form cross-bands; upper lip, sides, and lower parts 

 unspotted. 



Total length 225 millim. j tail 23. 



Congo. 



a. Hgr. (V. 239; C. 85). Stanley FaUs. 



196. miCRELAPS. 



Micrelaps, Boettg. Ber. Senckenb. Ges. 1879-80, p. 136. 

 Elaposchema, Mocquard, M4m. Cent. Soc. Philom. 1888, p. 122. 



Maxillary very short, with two teeth followed, after an interspace, 

 by a very large grooved fang situated below the eye ; anterior 

 mandibular teeth longest. Head smaU, not distinct from neck ; 

 eye minute, with round or vertically subelliptic pupil ; nostril in a 

 single nasal ; no loreal ; no prseocular ; prsefrontal entering the eye. 

 Body cylindrical ; scales smooth, without pits, in 15 rows ; ventrals 

 rounded. Tail short ; subcaudals in two rows. 



Palestine ; Somaliland, 



