AUSTRALIAN SNAKES. 97 
bands, rounded laterally, extending downwards to the middle of the sides, 
and rather broader than the interspaces of the ground-color; belly with 
a black longitudinal band. Head entirely black, separated from the first 
cross band by a narrow white ring. The young specimen has a transverse 
series of small black spots in the middle of each interspace between the 
black cross bands; and an irregular series of small round black spots runs 
along each side of the belly. 
Habitat, coast of New South Wales and Queensland. 
Eyep Sea Snake. Hydrophis ocellata. 
(Plate XTI, figs. 15, 15a.) 
Hydrophis ocellata, Gray, Viper. Snakes, p. 58, and Giinther, Rept. Brit. India, p. 378, 
pl. XXV, figs. P, P. 
Scales in 35 to 41 rows. 
Abdominais, 296 to 334. 
Total length, 44 inches. 
Head (cleft of mouth), % inch. 
Tail, 5 inches. 
Head rather short and broad; anterior and posterior parts of the 
body moderately stout; two pairs of chin shields, the anterior of which 
are in contact with each other ; two postoculars, thirty-five to forty-one 
series of scales round the neck; ventral shields distinct, but not twice as 
broad as the scales of the adjoining series, 296-834 in number; six 
preeanal shields, the outer of which are the largest; scales of the young 
smooth—of the adult with a short tubercular keel ; back with from thirty- 
two to thirty-four blackish cross bands, the. anterior of which are quad- 
rangular, and separated by straight, very narrow, transverse, whitish lines ; 
the middle and posterior are rounded elliptical, each with lighter centre ; 
a smaller, transverse, blackish spot behind each large elliptical cross band ; 
a series of ovate blackish ocelli, each with lighter centre, runs along the 
side of the back, the ocelli being alternate with the dorsal. bands; two 
other series of small, round, alternate spots along the lower side; belly 
with numerous blackish dots; head uniformly brownish olive; tail with 
two rows of blackish cross bars, the one ascending from the lower side, 
the other descending from the upper; the bars of both sides alternate 
with each other. 
Habitat, the Australian Seas. 
R 
