Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 
25 
Homalosoma lutrix ( Linne ). 
Smooth-bellied Snake. GUadbut k Slang. 
District. 
Date. 
Donor. 
A 1, 2 
Grahamstown 
1897 
Albany Museum 
3, 4 
Cape Colony 
1897 
Breyer 
5 
No history 
(T) 
(5 
Lydenburg 
1896 
Kranz 
7 
Irene 
1905 
Taylor 
8, 9 
Tokai, Cape Colony 
1902 
Taylor 
10, 11 
Cape Colony 
1897 
Breyer 
12 
Pretoria 
1897 
\. 13 
Albany 
14 
Grahamstown 
15 to 25 
No record (C.C.) 
1. 26 to 28 
No record (O.R.C.) 
Homalosoma shiranum Bonlenger. 
P. 1 Tokai, Cape Colony 18:97 Taylor 
This specimen was in the same bottle as Nos. 8 ancl 9 of 
H. lutrix and was probably caught at the same place, but it 
differs so much from H. lutrix that I have great hesitation in 
ascribing it to that species ; at the same time it seems most to 
resemble H. Shiranum Boulenger, although differing in some 
minor respects. 
The rostral is broader than deep, just visible from above ; 
suture between the internasals longer than that between the 
prsefrontals. Frontal once and a half as long as broad, longer 
than its distance to the end of the snout, shorter than the 
parietals, twice as broad as the supraocular. 
Parietals separated by two small scales. Nostril in the 
anterior half of the nasal, no loreal, nasal in contact with the 
praeocular ; two postoculars. 
Six upper labials, third and fourth entering the eye. 
Temporals, right side 1 and 3, left side 1 and 2. Two pairs 
of chin-shields, the anterior in contact with three labials. 
Scales in 15 rows. Ventrals 131, anal entire, subcaudals 31. 
Uniform olive-brown above, belly yellowish white, outer ends 
of ventrals and outer row of scales slaty grey, edged with 
brown. 
It will be seen that it differs from H. lutrix in the nasal 
being in contact with the praeocular, and in the proportionate 
lengths of the suture between the internasals and the 
praefrontals. 
This proportion, however, does not reach that of H. 
shiranum Boulenger (3 to 1) being at the most 2 to 1 , the 
right internasal (the right praefrontal and the frontal being 
missing in the specimen, make accurate measurements rather 
difficult). 
