AUSTRALIAN SNAKES. 33 
ASPIDIOTES, Krefft. 
Crown covered with broad shields, reaching behind the eyes; the 
remaining part of the head scaly; labial shields without pits, the front 
ones high and narrow, the hinder ones lower and broad. Nostrils lateral, 
in the middle of a plate; two loreals; two anterior and four posterior 
oculars; superciliaries broad, rather prominent above the eye; nasal shield 
very large, much produced backwards, and deeply grooved on its lower 
edge. Scales smooth, in fifty-two series on the middle of the body; 
ventral plates rather narrow; subcaudals entire, except the last ten or 
twelve which are divided. Tail conical, prehensile, ending in a blunt 
point. Head rather high, of moderate size; teeth not very large (smaller 
than in Morelia). Body thick and compressed. 
BLACK-HEADED SNAKE. Aspidiotes melanocephalus. 
(Plate III and Plate V, fig. 4.) 
Aspidiotes melanocephalus, Krefft. Proc. Zool. Soc., July 28th, 1864. 
Scales in 52 rows. 
Abdominals, 330. 
One anal plate. 
Subcaudals, 5115. 
Total length, 8 feet or more. 
Head, 3 inches. 
Tail, 12 inches. 
Head rather high; body thick and compressed; tail conical, taper- 
ing, prehensile, ending in a blunt point; anal spurs small; ten upper 
labials, the sixth coming into the orbit; two anterior and four posterior 
ocular shields ; two loreals, the second nearest to the eye very small; one 
nasal, pierced by the nostril; eye moderate, pupil elliptical, erect. Three 
pairs of frontal shields, the middle pair longest; vertical broad, the largest 
shield of the head, with an obtuse angle in front and an acute one behind ; 
sides rounded ; superciliaries large, and prominent above the eyes ; occipitals 
distinct, but smaller than the vertical ones, and forked and rounded behind; 
the first pair of frontals small, and triangular ; the second pair five-sided, 
and nearly as large again as the first; the third smaller than the second 
larger than the first, and quadrangular. Of the fourteen lower labial shields, 
the first seven are narrow and elongate, the rest broad ; no groove upon 
t 
