410 "SPECTACLE SNAKE. 



and colours are such as to distinguish it with 

 great ease from almost every other snake. Its 

 general length seems to be three or four feet, and 

 the diameter of the body about an inch and quar- 

 ter : the head is rather small than large, and is 

 covered on the fore part \yith large smooth scales ; 

 resembling, in this respect, the majority of in- 

 noxious serpents : the back part, sides, and neck, 

 with smaller ovate scales ; and the remainder of 

 the animal, on the upper parts, with small, dis- 

 tinct, oblong-oval scales, not ill resembling the 

 general form of a grain of rice. At a small dis- 

 tance beyond the head is a lateral swelling or 

 dilatation of the skin, which is continued to the 

 distance of about four inches downwards, where 

 the outline gradually sinks into the cylindric 

 form of the rest of the body. This part is ex- 

 tensile, at the pleasure of the animal ; and when 

 viewed from above, while in its most extended 

 state, is of a somewhat cordated form, or wider 

 at the upper than the lower part: it is marked 

 above by a very large and conspicuous patch or 

 spot, greatly resembling the figure of a pair of 

 spectacles ; the mark itself being white with black 

 edges, and the middle of each of the rounded parts 

 black. This mark is more or less distinct in dif- 

 ferent individuals, and also varies occasionally in 

 size and form, and in some is even altogether 

 wanting. The usual colour of the animal is a 

 pale ferruginous brown above ; the under parts 

 being of a blueish white, sometimes slightly 



