454 



MOURNING SNAKE. 



hardly be admitted that all the figures quoted by 

 Mr. Merrem, in his Beytrage zur Naturgeschichte, 

 can properly be referred to this species. Among 

 the most remarkable are the following, viz. 



1. Serpens ex Lyhia, Seb. ^. t. 15. This is en- 



tirely white, with a very few small jet-black 

 oblong spots, very distantly scattered over 

 the upper parts, and some narrow black 

 streaks on the fore part of the abdomen. 



2. Serpens Americana elegant Issima^ maculis 7ii^ 



gris notata. Seb. % t. It is milk-white^ 

 the scales, for about a third part of the 

 whole length, being edged with black; 

 thus constituting elegant black reticula- 

 tions on that part of the animal : a very 

 few small square black spots are also dis- 

 tantly scattered over the remainder of the 

 body, and on the abdomen are a few dusky 

 markings. 



3. Serpens Medoch Seb, 2. t, 49. Milk-white, 



with reticular transverse black bars on the 

 anterior part of the body, while the hind 

 part is almost entirely of a dusky brown 

 colour : the lips as in almost all the varie- 

 ties, barred with black and white. 



4. Tojuqiia, Seb, 2. t, 105. A large snake; 



the fore parts variegated with black and 

 white ; the hind part black, with transverse 

 bands of numerous small white spots. 



5. Serpens JEsculapius Orientalis maximus, Seb, 



2. t. 86. Of a cinereous yellow, with broad 

 deep-brown zones or surrounding bands; 



