490 vipbridjE. 



z. 2 (Sc. 26; V. ]75 



C. 45). 

 a. 2 (Sc. 27 1 V. 173 



0. 46). 

 0. ? (Sc. 27 ; V. 178 



C. 46). 

 y. Skull. Cyprus. 



Quetta, Baluchistan. Mr.J.A. Murray [P.]. 



? Zoolo{!;ical Society. 



(One of the types of V. conjiuenta.) 

 ? Zoological Society. 



9. Vipera russellii. 



JRussell, Ind. Serp. i. pi. vii. (1796) & ii. pi. xxxii. (1801). 



Coluber russellii, Shaw, Nat. Miseell. viii. pi. cexci., and Zool. iii. 



p. 418, pi. cviii. (1802). 



trinoculus, Bechst. Lacep. Naturg. Amph. iv. p. 245 (1802). 



Vipera elegans, Baud. Rept. vi. p. 124, pi. Ixxiii. (1803) ; Sohleg. 



Phys. Serp. ii. p. 588, pl. xxi. figs. 4 & 5 (1837) ; Jan, Icon. Om 



45, pl. vi. fig. 2 (1874). 

 Coluber triseriatus, Rerm. Obs. Zool. i. p. 278 (1804). 

 Daboia elegans, Gray, Zool. Miseell. p. 69 (1842), and Cat. p. 23 



(1849). 

 • russellii, Gray, II. cc. pp. 69 & 24 ; Cfiinth. Sept. Brit. Ind. 



p. 396 (1864) ; Stoliczka, Journ. As. Soc. Bern/, xxxix. 1870, 



p. 226 ; Fayrer, Thanatoph. Ind. pl. xi. (1874) ; Theoh. Cat. Rept. 



Brit. Ind. p. 217 (1876) ; Anders. An. Zool. Mas. Yunnan, p. 833 



(1879). 



pulchella, Gray, Zool. Miseell. p. 69. 



Echidna elegans, Diim. ^ Bibr. vii. p. 1435 (1854). 



russellii, Steind. Novara, Rept. p. 88 (1867). 



Vipera russellii, Straueh, Syn. Viper, p. 85 (1869) ; Bouleng. Faun. 



Ind., Rept. p. 420, fig. (1890) ; Brooh-Foi-, Journ. Bomb. N. R. 



Soe. viii. 1894, p. 565. 



Snout obtuse, with distinct canthus ; vertical diameter of the eye 

 shorter than its distance from the mouth in the adult. Rostral as 

 deep as broad or a little broader than deep, in contact with two or 

 three apical scales ; scales on upper surface of head small, imbricate, 

 strongly keeled ; 6 to 9 longitudinal seiies of scales between the 

 supraoculars, which are very narrow ; 10 to 15 scales round the eye ; 

 three or four series of scales between the eye and the labials ; 

 nostril very large, pierced in the nasal and bordered by a supranasal 

 and a naso-rostral ; temporal scales strongly keeled ; 10 to 12 upper 

 labials ; 4 or 5 (rarely 3) lower labials in contact with the chin- 

 shields. Scales in 27-33 rows, strongly keeled, outer row smooth. 

 Ventrals 154-176 ; anal entire ; subcaudals 43-64. Pale brown 

 above, with three longitudinal series of black, light-edged rings or 

 rhombs, which may encircle reddish-brown spots ; the vertebral 

 spots may join or even form an undulous band ; in some specimens, 

 however, these elegant markings may be replaced by faint dark 

 spots ; head with large symmetrical dark markings and two light 

 streaks uniting on the snout and diverging behind ; yellowish white 

 beneath, uniform or with crescenfic small black spots. 



Total length 1250 millim. ; tail 170. Grows to 1670 millim. 



India, Ceylon, Burma, Siam ; Sumatra and Java (?). 



