99. coNTiA. 263 



that between the prsefrontals ; frontal not once and a half as long 

 as broad, as long as or longer than its distance from the end of the 

 snout, shorter than the parietals ; loreal very small, longer than deep ; 

 one prae- and two postoeulars ; temporals 1 + 1 ; seven upper labials, 

 third and fourth entering the eye ; four lower labials in contact 

 with the anterior chin-shields ; posterior chin -shields smaller and in 

 contact with each other. Scales in 15 rows. Ventrals 169-183 ; 

 anal divided ; subcaudals 40-53. Brownish yellow above ; head 

 and nape black, with three or four yellow transverse lines ; the 

 black of the nape descending to the sides of the throat ; lower parts 

 uniform white. 



Total length 300 millim. ; tail 55. 



Syria. 



a-b. c? (V. 174 ; C. 52) & hgr. Sarona, near Senckenberg Mus. TE.]. 



(V. 161 ; 0. 53). Jaffa, 



c. cj ("V. 159; C.47). Lebanon. Canon Tristram [0.1. 



d-^. Yg. (V. 159, 160 ; 0. 47, Galilee. Canon Tristram [C.]. 



47). 



9. Contia persica. 



Cyclophis persicus, Anders. Proe. Zool. Soc. 1872, p. 392, fig. ; 



Blanf. Zool. E. Persia, p. 408, pi. xxviii. fig. 1 (1876). 

 Pseudocyclophis persicus, Boettg. Zool. Jahrb. iii. 1888, p. 922. 



Rostral nearly twice as broad as deep, just visible from above ; 

 nasal undivided ; suture between the internasals nearly as long as 

 that between the prsefrontals ; frontal once and a half as long as 

 broad, about once and a half as broad as the supraocular, as long as 

 its distance from the end of the snout, much shorter than the 

 parietals ; no loreal, nasal touching or nearly reaching the prse- 

 ocular ; one prae- and one postooular ; temporals 1 + 1 ; seven upper 

 labials, third and fourth entering the eye ; four lower labials in 

 contact with the anterior chin-shields, which are at least twice as 

 large as the posterior. Scales in 15 rows. Ventrals 194-216 ; 

 anal divided ; subcaudals 63-77. Yellowish or pale olive above, 

 unspotted ; upper surface of head and nape black, the black descend- 

 ing in front of the eye to the anterior lower labials; the rest of 

 the labial region, the rostral, and the lower parts uniform yellowish 

 white. 



Total length 400 millim. ; tail 90. The specimen in the collec- 

 tion measures 230 ; tail 45. 



Persia. 



a. Hgr. (V. 196 ; C. 68). Persia. 



10. Contia walteri. 



Pseudocyclophis walteri, Boettg. Zool. Anz. 1888, p. 262, and Zonl. 

 Jahrb. iii. 1888, p. 922, pi. xxxiv. fig. 1 ; Bouleng. Faun. Ind., 

 Mept. p. 300 (1890), and Proa. Zool. Soc. 1891, p. 632. 



Eostral once and a half as broad as deep, visible from above ; 

 nasal undivided ; suture between the internasals longer than that 



