184/.] Malayan Peninsula and Islands. 941 



maxillary tooth longer than the rest. The trunk is very slender, cylin- 

 drical, with the centre of the back raised, forming a sharp ridge, the 

 sides bulging near the abdomen, which is arched. The scales are im- 

 bricate, very elongated rhomboidal with the apex notched, except 

 the two lowest series on each side, which are broad rhombic ; they are 

 all sharply keeled, and disposed on the anterior part of the trunk in 

 19, on the middle part in 17 longitudinal series. The tail elongated, 

 cylindrical, very slender, tapering to a fine point. A single individual 

 observed on the Great Hill of Pinang by W. T. Lewis, Esq. was of the 

 following dimensions : 



Length of the head, ft. Of inch. 



Ditto ditto trunk, 1 7 



Ditto ditto tail, 7f 



2 ft. 3| inch. 



Circumference of the neck, -J, of the trunk, 1|, of the root of the 

 tail, -J- inch. 



Like most of the Asiatic species of this genus, the present is of fierce 

 habits. It twice unprovokedly bit a wood cutter who happened to 

 pass it. The bite, of course, was productive of no consequences except 

 a slight momentary pain. The very slender make and the elongated 

 tail are characters which approach this species to the arborial Colu- 

 bridce. 



Gen. Homalopsis, apud Schleget. 



(Erpeto?i,li&cepede, 1803. — Rhinopirus, Merrem, 1820. — Pseuderyx, 

 Fitzinger, 1826. — Homalopsis, Kuhl, 1827. — Cerberus, Cuvier, 1829. — 

 Hypsirhina, "Wagler, 1830. — Hydrops, Wagler, 1830. — Helicops, Wag- 

 ler, 1830. — Potamophis, Cantor, 1836.) 



Homalopsis, Kuhl. Nostrils opening vertically in the centre of the 

 small nasals, with a valvule ; crown shields small ; dorsal scales imbri- 

 cate, keeled ; chin with many small shields, throat scaly ; labials nar- 

 row ; abdomen with scuta ; tail short, tapering to a sharp point ; be- 

 neath with scutella. 



Homalopsis rhinchops, (Schneider.) 



Syn.— Seba, II. T. 15. F. 3. 



Hydrus rhinchops, Schneider. 

 Russell, I. PI. 17. Karoo Bokadam. 

 Russell, II. PI. 40, (young.) 

 Boa moluroides, Schneider. 



6 F 







