OF THE GENUS PHILOCHORTUS, 



147 



If times as long as broad, angular in front, much narrower 

 behind, not or but very feebly grooved in front; parietals 1| to 

 1| times as long as broad, meeting on the median line, the inter- 

 parietal being small and separated from the occipital, or alto- 

 gether absent * ; occipital small t, triangular. Two large subequal 

 supraoculars, preceded and followed by a small one (first and 

 fourth), often broken up into two or more small shields or 

 granules, the first in contact with the frontal ; 6 or 7 super - 

 oiliaries, separated from the supraoculars by a series of granules- 

 Lower eyelid opaque or somewhat translucid, with feebly enlarged 

 scales in the middle, some of which are deeper than the others. 

 Rostral not entering the nostril ; a single postnasal ; anterior 

 loreal shorter than the second % ; 4, rarely 5, upper labials 

 anterior to the subocular, which is usually narrower beneath 

 than above. A long narrow upper temporal, usually in contact 

 with the fourth supraocular, followed by one or two small shields ; 

 upper temporal scales small and granular or hexagonal, lower 

 larger ; a more or less distinct ty 7 mpanic shield. 



4 pairs of chin-shields, first two or three in contact in the 

 middle; 21 to 29 gular scales between the symphysis of the chin- 

 shields and the median collar-plate, granular in front, gradually 

 or abruptly enlarged and imbricate behind, those of the last row 

 often as large as the plates of the collar; no gular fold. Collar 

 with strongly serrated edge, composed of 7 to 10 plates. 



Scales granular on the nape ; 2, 4, or, rarely, 6, rows of 

 hexagonal plates along the back, usually smooth, sometimes very 

 feebly keeled ; these plates rather small and usually merging 

 gradually into the granular, fiat, smooth, or obtusely keeled 

 scales on the sides ; 30 to 42 plates and scales across the middle 

 of the body. Ventral plates in 6 longitudinal and 27 to 32 trans- 

 verse series, the border of the transverse series notched between 

 the plates, the median pair of which is narrower than the others. 

 Prseanal plates small and irregular, or two median enlarged. 



11 to 15 femoral pores on each side. 27 to 30 lamellar scales 

 under the fourth toe. 



Caudal scales forming alternately longer and shorter whorls, 

 upper oblique, rather strongly and diagonally keeled, rounded or 

 obtusely pointed behind, lower feebly keeled, basals smooth ; 21 

 to 28 scales in the fourth or fifth whorl behind the postanal 

 granules. 



Young dark brown or black on the body, with 6 yellowish- 

 white longitudinal streaks, the median pair bifurcating on the 

 nape, the outer branch extending to the superciliary edge, and 

 uniting on the base of the tail ; the upper lateral streak from the 

 eye to the tail, passing above the tympanum, the lower from 



* Absent in the type-specimen and in most of the 59 specimens from Ghinda 

 examined by me. I was wrong in thinking the absence of this shield in the type- 

 specimen to be an individual anomaly. 



f Divided into two in the type-specimen. 



X Absent in the type-specimen. ; 



