233. SEPEDON. 389 



Maxillary extending forwards beyond the palatine, with a pair 

 of large grooved poison-fangs; no other maxillary teeth ; mandibular 

 teeth, anterior longest. Head not distinct from neck ; canthus 

 rostralis distinct ; eye moderate, with round pupil; nostril between 

 two nasals and the internasal ; no loreal. Body cylindrical ; scales 

 oblique, keeled, without pits, in 19 rows; ventrals rounded. Tail 

 moderate ; subcaudals in two rows. 



South Africa. 



1. Sepedon hssmachates. 



Seba, Thm. ii. pi. Ixxv. fig. 1 (1735). 



Coluber hsemachata, LacSp. Serp. ii. pp. 121 & 115, pi. iii. fia;. 2 



(1789). 



heemachates, Bonnat. Encycl. MHh., Ophiol. p. 31 (1789). 



Vipera hsemacliates, Latr. Rept. iv. p. SO (1802) ; Daud. Rept. vi. 



p. 207 (1803). 

 Sepedon hsemacliates, Merr. Tent. p. 146 (1820) ; Graij, Cat. p. 33 

 ^ (1849) ; Bum. 8f Bibr. vii. p. 1269 (1854). 

 Naia capensis, Smith, Edinh. N. Philos. Journ. i. 1826, p. 252. 

 Naja hsemachates, ScJileg. Phys. Serp. ii. p. 481, pi. xvii. tigs. 10 & 11 



(1837) ; Smith, III. Zool. S. Afr., Bept. pi. xxxiv. (1843j. 

 Aspidelaps hsemachates, Jan, Elenco, p. 118 (1893), and Icon. Gin. 



44, pi. vi. fig. 4 (1873). 



Snout prominent, obtusely pointed. Kostral nearly as deep as 

 broad, its upper portion nearly as long as its distance from the 

 frontal ; internasals longer than the prasfrontals ; frontal once and 

 a half to once and three fourths as long as broad, shorter than its 

 distance from the end of the snout, as long as or a little shorter 

 than the parietals ; one prueocular, in contact with the internasal 

 and the posterior nasal ; three postoculars ; temporals 2+3, lower 

 anterior very large ; seven upper labials, third deepest, third and 

 fourth entering the eye; four lower labials in contact with the 

 anterior chin-shields, which are longer than the posterior. Scales 

 strongly keeled, in 19 rows. Ventrals 116-150 ; anal entire; sub- 

 caudals 33-44. Black above, spotted, variegated, or irregularly 

 barred with yellowish white or pale brown, or brown spotted with 

 black ; black beneath, often with one or two whitish cross-bands 

 on the neck. 



Total length 660 millim. ; tail 120. 



Cape of Good Hope and Kamaqualand. 



a. $ (V. 137; 0. 43). Table Mt., Cape Town. H. A. Spencer, Esq. 



b. S (V. 118 ; C. 40). Cape of Good Hope. Lords of the Admi- 



ralty [P.]. 

 e. Hgr. (V. 141 ; C. 39). Cape of Good Hope. Dr. Stathaui [P.]. 



d. $ (V. 133 ; 0. 38). Namaqualand. 



e. $ (V. 130; C. 33). S. Africa. College of Surgeons. 

 /, g-h. S (V. 116, 117; S. Africa. Haalar Collection. 



C. 37, 38) & S 

 (V. 121 ; C. 35). 

 i. Skull. Cape of Good Hope. 



