CRIMSON-SIDED SNAKE, 



423 



scuta very narrow: colour of the whole animal 

 rufous brown, with moderately distant, broadish, 

 transverse, pale bands, each of whichj at its junc- 

 ture with the scuta, is marked by a white spot. 

 Native of Ceylon according to Seba, who impro- 

 perly calls it a kind of Cobra de Capello. It is 

 uncertain whether it be a poisonous species or not, 

 but it bears a highly malignant aspect. 



CRIMSON-SIDED SNAKE. 



Coluber Porphyriacus. C. nigro-violaceiis, lateribus abdmineque 



purpureis, scutis nigro marginatis. 

 Violet-black Snake, with the abdomen and sides crimson ; the 



scuta margined with black. 

 Coluber Porphyriacus. Zool. of New Holl. p. 27. p^* 10. 

 Abdominal scuta 188, anal scuta 7, subcaudal squamse 45. 



A MODERATELY large, and highly beautiful 

 species : general proportions nearly the same with 

 those of the Col. Natrix, or common English 

 Snake : head rather small, and covered in front 

 with large scales : colour of the head and whole 

 upper parts very fine deep violet : sides and ab- 

 domen crimson, deepest on the former, the large 

 scales nearest the scuta being carmine-coloured, 

 with black tips : the abdomen rose-coloured, with 

 a tinge of yellow, each scutum deeply edged 

 with black ; thus forming a beautiful series of 

 transverse black bars down the abdomen : the tail 

 measures about a sixth of the whole length, and 

 is furnished beneath, exclusive of the divided 



