Zoology.] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. [Reptiles 



Plate 32. 



FURINA BICUCULLATA (McCoy). 



The Two-hooded Furina- Snake. 



[Genus EURINA (Dum. & Bib.). (Sub-kingd. Vertebrata. Class Reptilia. Order Ophidia. 

 Family Elapsidae.) 



Gen. Char. — Body slender, cylindrical, of nearly tbe same diameter from the small head to 

 base of tail, which is rather short, conical, pointed. Two rows of subcaudal plates. Scales 

 small, uniform, smooth, in 15 or 17 rows. A row of teeth on the upper jaw behind the small 

 anteriorly grooved fang. Rostral shield large, rounded ; f rontals subequal ; vertex plate nearly 

 or quite reaching the anterior ocular ; no loreal, replaced by nasal, posterior frontal and ocular ; 

 one nasal pierced by nostril ; one anterior and two posterior oculars. Australia.] 



Description. — Form : body slender, cylindrical ; head wider than neck but only 

 a little wider than middle of body, ovate, moderately narrowed and rounded in 

 front, broader behind, flattened above; tail small, slender. Scales: 17 rows of 

 scales across middle of back, rhombic, smooth; ventral scales, 180 to 210; sub- 

 caudals, 64 to 66 pairs ; anal scale double. Plates : rostral shield moderately large, 

 forming- the rounded projection of the muzzle, obtuse-angled behind between the 

 anterior half of the anterior frontals ; anterior frontals small, about one-third wider 

 than long ; posterior frontals about twice the length of the anterior ones ; vertex 

 plate about one-third longer than the two sets of frontals taken together, twice as 

 long as wide, obscurely hexagonal, very obtuse-angled in front, not reaching the 

 large anterior ocular, sides parallel, acute-angled behind ; parietal and occipital 

 shields moderately large. Color : color of back and sides of body and tail hazel- 

 brown (with, in figured specimen, about 20 narrow transverse black bands on about 

 the middle third of the body, each band about 1 scale wide and separated from the 

 next by intervals varying from 10 to 13 scales; few of the bands go quite across the 

 back and sides, most of them extending little more than half way from one side to 

 the other, the imperfect bands alternately on the right and left sides) ; a large black 

 patch occupies the top of the head from the posterior ends of the posterior frontals 

 to the posterior ends of the occipital plates, encircling the eye and reaching half 

 across the fourth labial plate in front, and obliquely from the upper post-ocular to 

 the corner of the mouth behind, the transverse posterior edge followed by a narrow 

 band of bright reddish cinnamon, a paler tint of the same color occupying the side 

 and front of the head, including the rostral, both frontals, anterior and posterior 

 oculars, temporal and upper labial plates ; immediately behind the narrow reddish 

 collar is a second large black patch a little less long than the anterior one, behind 

 this the brown of the back is much lighter for a space of 4 or 5 scales wide ; under- 

 lip and throat bluish-white ; scales of belly pale-yellowish, each with two to four 

 square, dull rusty orange patches as far as vent ; eyes black with a yellow line 

 round the circular pupil. Teeth : about 12 small, solid teeth behind each fang, and 

 a row of about 20 slightly larger, on each palate bone. Length, 12 inches, of which 

 the tail forms 2 inches ; greatest width of body, 4 lines ; length of gape, 5 lines. 



[ 13 ]' 



