MOURNING SNAKE. 



455 



the scales on the yellow parts being also 

 tipped here and there with brown : this is 

 said by Seba to be a native of Ceylon. 

 A more extraordinary variety, if Mr. Merrem's 

 conjecture be right, is the Coluber Petzcoatl^ Seb. 

 % t, 84. It is of a fine yellow, with a pretty 

 strong tinge of orange on the back, and several 

 transverse bands of similar colour on different 

 parts of the body : it is of large size, and is de- 

 scribed as being very glossy or smooth, and as a 

 native of Mexico, inhabiting hollow trees, &c. 

 the back appears pretty strongly carinated. 



If we were inclined to follow Mr. Merrem's ex- 

 ample in thus extending supposed varieties, we 

 might proceed a step farther, and refer the Ana 

 Candaja, Seb. 2. t. 83. to the same species : its ge- 

 neral proportions, and form of scales, are similar, 

 but its colour is pale blue, with the abdomen 

 white : it is a native of Ce3don, and is said fto 

 grow to a very large size, and to be able to kill 

 cattle by strangling them. 



VAR. ? 



The Coluber Haje of Linn^us appears, from the 

 short description given in the Systema Naturae, 

 to be so extremely nearly allied to the pullatus 

 both in size and colour, as well as in the number 

 of its scuta and squamae, that it is impossible not 

 to suppose it the same animal : yet the Flaje is said 

 by Forskal to be a poisonous species, which the 

 pullatus is not. 



