7. ECHis. 505 



1. EcMs cariuatus. 



Russell, Ind. Serp.i. pi. ii. (1796). 



Pseudoboa carinata, Schneid. Hist. Amph. ii. p. 286 (1801). 



Boa horatta, Shaw, Zool. iii. p. 359 (1802). 



Scytale bizonatus, Baud. Eept. v. p. 339, pi. Ixx. fig. 1 (1803). 



Vipera (Echis) carinata, Merr. Tent. p. 149 (1820). 



Ecnis ziczac, Grau, Ann. Philos. 1825, p., 205. 



Scythale pjrramidum, I. Geofr. Descr. Egypte, JSept. p. 152, pi. vii. 



flg. 1 (1827), and Suppl. pi. iv. fig. 1 (1829). 

 Echis arenicola. Bote, Isis, 1827, p. 558 ; Gray, Cat. p. 29 (1849) ; 



Straitch, Syn. Viper, p. 117 (1869), and Schl JRuss. H. p. 228 



(1873) ; Boettff. Zool. Jahrb. iii. 1888, p. 949. 

 carinata, Wagl. Syst. Amph. p. 177 (1830) ; Gray, Cat. p. 29 ; 



Guichen. in Lefebvre, Voy. Abyss, vi. p. 215, Sept. pi. iii- 



( ? ) ; Dum. Sf Biir. vii. p. 1448, pi. Ixxxi. b. fig. 3 (1854) j 



Giinth. JRept. Brit. Ind. p. 397 (1864), and Proc. Zool. Soc. 1869, 



p. 502 ; Anders. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1871, p. 196 ; Fayrer, Thanatoph. 



Ind. pi. xii. (1874) ; Blanf. Zool. E. Pers. p. 430 (1876) ; Theoh. 



Cat. Mept. Brit. Ind. p. 218 (1876) ; Blanf. Joum. As. Soc. Beng. 



xlviii. 1879, p. 116; Murray, Zool. Sind, p. 388, pi. — (1884); 



Boukng. Faun. Ind., Rept. p. 422, fig. (1890) ; Matschie, Zool. 



Jahrb. y. 1890, p. 617 ; Bouleng. Trans. Zool. Soc. xiii. 1891, p. 155. 



pavo, Heuss, Mtes. Senck. i. 1834, p. 157. 



varia, Reuss, I. e. p. 160, pi. vii. fig. 2. 



Vipera ecbis, Schley. Phys. Serp. ii. p. 583, pi. xxi. figs. 10 & 11 



(1837), and in Wagner, Rets. Alg. iii. p. 131 (1841). 

 Echis frenata. Bum. Sr Bibr. t. c. p. 1449. 

 Toxicoa arenicola, Giinth. Cat. p. 268 (1858). 

 Vipera carinata, Jan, Rev. Sr Mag. 2!ool. 1859, p. 153 ; Strauch, Frp. 



Alg. p. 73 (1862). 



(Echis) superoUiosa, Jan, I. c. p. 156, and Prodr. pi. E (1859). 



Echis superciliosa, Jan, Flenco, p. 122 (1863). 



Snout very short, rounded. Eostral once and a half to twice 

 and a half as broad as deep ; head covered with small, more or less 

 strongly keeled scales ; a narrow supraocular sometimes present ; 

 10 to 15 scales across from eye to eye ; 14 to 20 scales round the 

 eye ; two (rarely three or one) series of scales between the eye and 

 the labials ; nostril between two (rarely three) shields, in contact 

 with the rostral ; 10 to 12 upper labials ; three or four lower 

 labials in contact with the chin-shields. Scales in 27-37 rows. 

 Ventrals 132-192; anal entire; subcaudals 21-48. Pale bufE, 

 greyish, reddish, or hrown above, with one or three series of whitish 

 dark-edged spots, the outer sometimes forming ocelli ; a zigzag 

 dark and light band may run along each side ; a cruciform, ^-, *J' -, 

 or Y-shaped whitish marking often present on the head ; lower parts 

 whitish, uniform, or with brown dots, or with small round black 

 Spots. 



Total length 720 millim. ; tail 70. 



Desert or sandy districts of Africa north of the Equator ; Southern 

 Asia, from Transcaspia and Arabia to India. 



a, b. cj (Sc. 31, 29 ; V. W. AMca. Mr. Dalton [C.]. 



148,145; 0.26,29). 



