164 



MISS JOAN B. PROCTER ON THE 



not with his L. atrox. He counts 204 and 200 ventrals (v.), 

 67 and 70 subcaudals (c). Both descriptions appear to corre- 

 spond with two specimens in the British Museum collection, from 

 Martinique (Cat. Snakes, iii. p. 536, spec, r k s). 



Coluber lanceolatus Lacepede, Hist, des Serp. (1789) p. 121, is 

 based on specimens in the Paris Museum : 228, 225 v., 61, 59 c. 

 Habitat Martinique and perhaps Dominica and Cayenne. Figure 

 worthless, probably from a bleached specimen. Dumeril and 

 Bibron (Erp. Gen. vii. 1854, p. 1505), under Bothrops lanceolatus, 

 do not give us any particulars concerning the type -specimen, 

 which they must have examined, but the fact that the " Vipere 

 jaime de la Martinique," also found in St. Lucia and Dominica, is 

 the form intended. There can be no question as to the appli- 

 cation of the name lanceolatus, the Fer-de-lance, which must be 

 regarded as a strict synonym of L. atrox of Linnaeus according to 

 Andersson. 



Cophias jararaca Wied, Abbild. Nat. Bras. (1825), from 

 E. Brazil, 193-201 v., 59-68 c. The description and figure 

 indicate a snake similar to L. atrox, but with markings consisting 

 of dark brown, darker-edged transverse bands, narrower on the 

 back than on the sides, such as is figured by Jan, in Icon. Oph. 

 47me livr. pi. iii., and corresponding to several examples in the 

 British Museum collection from Rio Janeiro and Para (Cat. Sn. 

 iii. p. 537, spec, i, p. 539, spec. v). This variety must be the 

 prevalent form in the Province of Bahia. as the following 

 descriptions and figures of Wagler in Spix's Serp. Bras. (1824) 

 are evidently referable to it. Bothrops megw.ra, p. 50, pi. xix. : 

 195 v , 53 c. This figure shows dark olive upper parts with 

 dark, darker-edged transverse bands and immaculate ventrals. 

 B. furia, p. 52, pi. xx. : 201 v., 65 c. A uniformly coloured 

 specimen which may be taken to have lost its markings. 

 B. leucostigma, p. 53, pi. xxi. fig. 1 : ? v., 66 c. Brownish, with 

 darker transverse bands, ventrals powdered witli grey. B. tessel- 

 latus, p. 54, pi. xxi. fig. 2: 190 v., ? c. Dorsal markings as in 

 B. leucostigma, ventrals checkered with brown. B. tceniatus, 

 p. 55, pi. xxi. fig. 3. Colours lighter than the above, transverse 

 bands always double. 



Both?*opsjararacassu~Lficevdi\,,Le(}. surle ven. des Serp. (1884) p. 9. 

 From the province of Bio de Janeiro. An adequate description 

 of the striking markings of the Jararacussu is given (black above 

 with yellow markings, longitudinal on the head, and obliquely 

 pronged forks on the sides, }''ellow beneath spotted with black). 

 Similar to the B. atrox figured in Jan, Icon. Oph. (47me livr. 

 pi. ii. fig. 3), and to two specimens in the British Museum 

 collection from Sao Paulo, presented by Dr. Brazil. 



Having thus indicated the sources to which I have referred in 

 order to fix the exact meaning of the principal names which ha ve 

 had currency in the past, I will review the various opinions which 

 have been expressed in the principal works on Ophidia. 



