DROMICUS TEMMINCKII. Igl 



DROMrctJS TEMMINCKII, Bum. k Bibi*. 



Spec. Char. — Middle region of the back exhibiting a broad band of 

 deep brown or black, on each side of which is a series of whitish dots. 

 Upon the sides, a band of lighter brown. Tip of scales not covered 

 by these bands, black. 



Syn. — Coronella chamissonu, Wiegm. in Nov. Act. nat. cuv. XVII, i, 1835, 246, 



PI. XIX. 



Psammophis temminckn, Schleg. Ess. Physion. Serp. I, 1887, 156 ; & II, 1837, 

 218, PL vrii, figs. 14 and 15.— Guich. in Gay, Hist, de Chile, II, 1848, 83. 



Dromicus temmiiuhii, DuM. & BiBR. Erpet. gen. VII, i, 1854, 663. 



Taeniophis tantillus, Grd. in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. VII, 1854, 227 ; and 

 in GilUss, U. S. N. Astr. Exped. to S. Hemisph. II, 1855, 215, PL xxxvir, figs. 7-12 

 (young). 



Descr.— The head is elongated, depressed, subovoid when viewed 

 from above ; the occipital region passing gradually to the neck. The 

 frontal region is slightly declivous; the snout round, and the jaws 

 even. The mouth is deeply cleft, forming a very open curve. The 

 eyes are very large, and subcircular; their horizontal diameter being 

 comprised about once and a half across the cephalo-ocular region. The 

 nostrils are quite small, situated upon the middle of the commis- 

 sure between two nasal plates, and encroaching a little more ujDon the 

 prenasal than upon the postnasal. The vertex plate is elongated, 

 sometimes lanceolated, at others subhexagonal, slightly concave late- 

 rally, and more truncated anteriorly than posteriorly. The occipitals are 

 much larger than the vertex plate; they are rounded exteriorly. The 

 postfrontals are irregularly angular or rounded, encroaching slightly 

 upon the loral region. The prefrontals, smaller than the postfrontals, 

 are subtriangular, and externally rounded. The rostral is broad and 

 low, being but imperfectly seen in an upper view of the head ; it is 

 arched above, and concave beneath. The nasals are subquadrangular, 

 nearly equal sized. The loral is elongated and subtrapezoid. There 

 is but one anteorbital, inferiorly narrow, superiorly broad, sending 

 a very small triangular process to the upper surface of the head, with- 

 out, however, isolating entirely the postfrontals from the supraocu- 

 lars, as previously observed upon immature specimens. The supra- 



41 



