12 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



It is probable that if greater attention were paid to individual 

 variations of this widely-distributed snake, many more new 

 localities for the var. fitzingeri would be brought to light* In 

 fact, I am now able to point out its occurrence in England. A small 

 specimen, 330 millim. long, was caught by Master J. L. Monk on 

 August 21st last in Talbot Woods, Bournemouth, and kindly pre- 

 sented by him to the British Museum. In this specimen the 

 rostral is wedged in far between the prefrontals, which form but a 

 very short median suture, and the length of its upper surface 

 exactly equals its distance from the frontal. In the specimen 

 received from Lord Arthur Russell, the upper portion of the 

 rostral measures three-fifths of its distance from the frontal, and 

 in that presented by Mr. Bond one-half; the snout is also more 

 obtuse, and both pertain unquestionably to the typical form. On 

 examining some specimens, three in number, from Hampshire, 

 received from the Zoological Society, I find that they are referable 

 to the vox. fitzingeri; the upper portion of the rostral in one 

 measures two-thirds its distance from the frontal, whilst in the 

 two others it equals that distance. I must therefore conclude 

 that the character on which G. fitzingeri is based, which I may 

 add is not correlative of any other either in the lepidosis or in 

 the coloration, is merely an individual one, more frequent in some 

 localities than in others, but by no means geographically limited, 

 as was hitherto believed to be the case. Prof. Camerano, in his 

 recent Monograph of the Snakes of Italy (Mem. Ace. Torin. xli. 

 1891), refers all the Italian specimens to his subspecies fitzingeri. 

 But a young specimen from Bologna in the British Museum, 

 received from Prof. Bianconi, belongs to the typical form, the 

 upper portion of the rostral being only half as long as its distance 

 from the frontal, and the shape of the snout not differing from 

 that of the form described by Laurenti as C. austriaca. I should 

 add that I have considered the question whether the aberrant 

 specimens from Hampshire might not be the result of some 

 importation from southern parts of the Continent; specimens 

 thus brought over for sale in Bournemouth might have been 

 ultimately turned loose in the neighbourhood by their owners 

 and recaptured, as sometimes happens in London, where snakes 

 are occasionally taken in the public parks. I therefore wrote to 

 Mr. A. Green, the well-known naturalist in Bournemouth, to 

 inquire whether any of the snakes he sells were ever received 



