VIPER-HEADED SNAKE. 



465 



soon brings him to the ground ; but he happily 

 receives no hurt, but what may result from the 

 fright ; all the mischief this species does is to the 

 housewives, for it will skim their milk-pans of the 

 cream, and rob their hen-roosts of all the eggs." 

 —J ret. ZooL Append, p. 92. ^ ■ 



VIPER-HEADED SNAKE. 



Coluber Viperinus. C. albido-griseus, fasciis fransversis nign- 

 cantibus apice hijidis macula capitis bifurcata nigraj abdomine 

 vtrinque fusco maculato. 



Pale-grey Snake, with blackish brown transverse bands, bifid 

 towards their extremities, head marked by a bifurcated black 

 spot, and sides of the abdomen spotted with brown. 



Abdominal scuta \66, subcaudal scales 87. 



This species is described by Seba, and is an 

 animal of considerable elegance : its length is 

 about three feet : its habit moderately slender, yet 

 strong, and its colour very pale grey or whitish, 

 fasciated throughout its whole length, by nearly 

 equidistant black or very deep-brown bands, 

 which, as in the Linnsean Coluber JEsculapii, are 

 divided beneath about half way upwards by a nar- 

 row white stripe : the head is covered in front 

 with large scales, and marked on the top by a 

 black patch of similar form to that on the head of 

 the Viper, except that the two divisions are more 

 acute : on each side the head, across the eyes, is a 

 longitudinal black stripe, communicating with 

 tlie first dorsal bar; and the tip of the nose is also 



