Zoology.'] 



NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. 



[Reptiles. 



Plate 11, Fig. 1. 



HOPLOCEPHALUS FLAGELLUM (McCoy). 

 The Little Whip Snake. 



[Genus HOPLOCEPHALUS (Cuv.). (Class Reptilia. Order Ophidia. Fam. Elapidge.) 



Gen. Char. — Body and tail moderately thick, gradually tapering. Head subquadrate, 



depressed, rounded in front. Rostral plate moderate ; no loreal plate ; one anterior and two 



posterior ocular plates ; one nasal plate pierced by the nostril. Scales of back smooth, about 



15 to 21 rows. Anal and subcaudal plates entire, in one row. Confined to Australia.] 



Description. — Head considerably wider than the neck behind, tapering* to a 

 short blunt muzzle. Scales: usually 17 rows of scales across middle of back; 

 ventral plates, 132 to 138 ; subcaudal, 25 to 27. Tail very short, ending" in a 

 conical point. Plates : rostral plate twice as wide as long', semielliptical ; anterior 

 frontals small; posterior frontals moderate, rectangular behind; vertex plate hex- 

 agonal, about one-fourth longer than wide, anterior end very obtuse, posterior 

 end obtuse but nearly rectangular ; occipitals elongate, moderate, one-fourth longer 

 than wide ; superciliary moderate ; two posterior ocular plates smaller than the one 

 anterior ocular ; six upper labials, 2nd and 3rd touching* the anterior ocular ; nasal 

 plate long-. Anal plate sometimes divided, usually undivided, large. Color: pale 

 umber-brown, whitish below, edges of scales slightly lighter, subjacent skin black ; 

 the whole crown of the head with a large black patch, lowest on the sides at the 

 back, but not so low as the bend of the angle of mouth or labials, rising towards 

 the eye, leaving the post-oculars white, but touching the eye above from the super- 

 ciliary being black, and these with the vertex plate form its anterior boundary, 

 leaving all the rest of the anterior part of the head white except a narrow separate 

 black band extending from one nostril to the other across the middle of the anterior 

 frontals and middle of rostral plate. Teeth: there are usually four small solid teeth 

 behind the fang and about ten in each of the two palate rows. 



To show the small variation of the number of scales of back 

 and the abdominal and subcaudal plates, I subjoin particulars of 

 eight specimens in the National Museum collection : — 



Specimens. 



Number of Eows of Scales 

 on Back. 



Plates. 



Total. 



Middle. 



Base of Tail. 



Ventral. 



Subcaudal. 



Length. 



Tail. 



1. Boroondara 



2. 



3. 



4. Prahran... 



5. South Brighton ... 

 6- 



7. Caulfield 



8. Mount Martha ... 



17 

 18 

 18 

 18 

 18 

 17 

 17 

 17 



15 

 15 

 15 

 15 

 15 

 16 

 15 

 14 



137 

 138 

 138 

 137 

 136 

 132 

 136 

 137 



27 

 26 

 25 

 25 



27 

 27 

 25 

 25 



in. 

 Ill 

 I2i 



11| 

 12| 



101 



12| 



in. 



n 



if 



*£ 

 2 



[7] 



