CHEaUERED SNAKEi 489 



This Species appears to vary considerably in the 

 number of its scuta and sqimmce subcaudales. It is 

 pretended that the ladies in India sometimes carry 

 this snake in their bosoms, and hence its trivial 

 name Domicellcu 



CHEQUERED SNiiKE. 



Serpens Mexicana PetlUcoatl dicta elegantissima. Seh. 2. /. 

 63./. 1. 



Length about three ftet or more : general pro- 

 portions those of the Ncitriv : colour of the upper 

 parts yellow, crossed obliquely by red lines, in 

 such a manner as to divide the whole surface into 

 numerous squares or lozenges, consisting of four 

 scales each : head rather small, and oblong ; co- 

 vered in front with large red scales : tail of mo- 

 derate length, and gradually tapering to a very 

 slender extremity : abdomen cinereous-yellow, 

 with a few smallish tessellated red patches here 

 and there. Native of Mexico. In the general 

 disposition of its markings this snake is much 

 allied to the P(iragoodo, pi. 20. of Dr. Russel's In- 

 dian Serpents (Hydrus palustris. Schneid.) but 

 must be a different species. 



v. III. p. II. 



