THE PBINCIPAL SPECIES OF POISONOUS SNAKES 81 



(9) A. microphoUs.— Temporal shields small, 2 + 3 or 4 ; fourth 

 or fifth infralabial larger ; scales on the body in 25 rows ; 210 — 215 

 ventrals ; 29 — 30 subcaudals. Frontal shield slightly longer than 

 broad, much longer than the parietals. 



Colour uniform dark brown. 



Total length, 330 millimetres ; tail 28. 



Habitat : Cape Verd. 



(10) A. leucomelas. — Characters as before. Frontal one and 

 two-fifths as long as broad, as long as the parietals. 



Colour black, with . a vertebral white line, occupying one row 

 and two half rows of scales ; ventrals and subcaudals white ; 

 neck black, head white, with a black spot covering the nasals and 

 upper head-shields. 



Total length, 575 millimetres ; tail 40. 



Habitat : Somaliland. 



(11) A. microlepidota. — Characters as before. Scales on the 

 body in 29 — 37 rows ; 212 — 245 ventrals ; 2(j — 37 subcaudals. 



Colour uniform dark brown. 



Total length, 540 millimetres ; tail 45. 



Habitat : Central and East Africa. 



n.—AUSTBALIA AND THE LABGE ADJACENT ISLANDS. 



The Sunda Islands and the whole of Malaysia are rich in 

 poisonous snakes. Those that are found there belong for the most 

 part to species that we have already met with in India or the 

 Malay Peninsula. We shall therefore not describe them again 

 here. 



All those that inhabit Australia are included in the great Family 

 CoLUBRiD^ and the Subfamily Elapin^. There are no Viperid^e ; 

 but certain genera of poisonous CoLUBRiDiE are peculiar to this 

 continent. 



These reptiles have been particularly well studied by Gerard 



6 



