624 



VIPEEIB^. 



4. Ancistrodon acutus. 



Halys acutu8, Gilnth.Ann. ^ Mag. N.H. (6) i. 1888, p. 171, pi. xii., 

 and in Pratt, Snows of Tibet, p. 242 (1892}. 



Snout produced into a pointed dermal appendage directed for- 

 wards, covered above by the internasals, beneath by a separate 

 shield above the rostral, which is as deep as broad or deeper than 

 broad ; upper head-shields finely granulate ; frontal as long as or 

 a Utile longer than the prsefrontals, shorter than the parietals; 

 upper praeocular separated from the posterior nasal by a loreal ; 

 one postocular and one subocular, separating the eye from the 

 labials ; seven upper labials, second forming the anterior border of 

 the loreal pit, third and fourth largest ; three large lower tempo- 

 rals, anterior largest. Scales strongly and tubercularly keeled, in 

 21 rows. Ventrals 162-166; anal entire; subcaudals 58-60, 

 mostly in pairs, 6 to 13 of the anterior single. Brown above, with 

 blackish-brown X-shaped markings or alternating > -shaped ones ; 

 head dark brown above, yellow on the sides, with a black streak 

 from the eye to the angle of the mouth ; yellowish beneath, spotted 

 with dark brown and with a lateral series of large black blotches. 



Total length 1500 miUim. ; tail 200. 



Upper Tang-tse, China. 



a-c. S (V. 166, 166, Mountains North of A. E. Pratt, Esq. [C.]. 



162; 0. 59, 60, 68). Kiu Kiang. (Types.) 



d. 6 (V. 163 ; C. 68). Ichang. A. E. Pratt, Esq. [C.]. 



5. Ancistrodon halys. 



Coluber halys, Pall. Reise, iii. p. 703 (1776). 

 Vipera halys. Pall. Zoogr. Hoss.-As. iii. p. 49 (1811). 

 Trigonoeephalus halys, Licht. in Eversm. Peise Orenb. Buch. p. 147 



(1823) ; Eichw. Zool. Spec. iii. p. 170 (1831), and Faun. Casp.- 



Cauc. p. 128, pi. xix. (1841) ; Dum. Sf Bibr. vii. p. 1496 (1864) ; 



Strauch, Schl. Muss. R. p. 231 (1873) ; Jan, Icon. Gen. 46, pi. vi. 



fig. 1 (1874) ; Schreib. Herp. Pur. p. 182, fig. (1875) ; Be Betta, 



Atti 1st. Ven. (5) vi. 1880, p. 388 ; Boettg. in Radde, Faun. Fhr, 



Casp. Geb. p. 74 (1886). 



caraganus, Eichw. Zool. Spec. iii. p. 170. 



Halys palla.sii, Oiinth. Rept. Brit. Ind. p. 392 (1864); Blanf. Zool. 



E. Pers. p. 430 (1876). 



Snout obtusely pointed, slightly turned up at the end, with obtuse 

 canthus. Rostral as deep as broad or slightly broader than deep ; 

 a pair of internasals and a pair of praefrontals ; frontal as long as 

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

 than the parietals ; upper prseocular separated froin the posterior 

 nasal by a loreal ; one or two postoculars and a subocular ; loreal 

 pit separated from the labials ; three large temporals, anterior 

 largest; 7 or 8 upper labials, third entering the eye. Scales 

 sharply keeled, in 23 rows. Ventrals 149-174 ; anal entire ; sub- 

 caudals 31-44 pairs. Yellowish, greyish, reddish, or pale brown 



