355 



VIPERINE BOA, 



Boa Viperina. B. grisea, fascia dorsaJi undulata nigra albido 



marginata, laterihus nigro maculatis. 

 Grey Boa, with black undulating dorsal band edged with white, 



and sides spotted with black. 

 Pa;dain Cootoo. Russ. Ind. Serp. p. 5. t, 4t. 

 Abdominal scuta 209, subcaudal ig. 



This also is an Indian species, first described in 

 the work of Dr. Russel. It is about a foot and 

 half in length, and of a moderately deep brown 

 colour, the back being marked throughout the 

 whole length by a broad undulating black band, 

 with a narrov/ yellov/ish white margin, while along 

 the sides runs a row of somewhat irregular round- 

 ish black spots : the under part of the animal is of 

 a pearl-colour. The head is hardly broader than 

 the neck, oblong, roundish, depressed, subtrun- 

 cate, and covered with small scales : the teeth are 

 small and numerous, and as there is a marginal 

 row in the upper jaw, there are of course no fangs : 

 the trunk or body is round, of nearly equal thick- 

 ness,- and coated with small, orbicular, close-set, 

 carinated scales : the tail is only an inch and half 

 in length, and is thick, tapering to a sharp point : 

 the vent is lonoitudinal : and the scuta verv short, 

 scarce extending from side to side more than a 

 third part of the diameter of the abdomen. 



This snake, Dr. Russel informs us, is said to 

 produce by its bite a slow wasting of the fingers 

 and toes, similar to what happens in some leprous 



