Reptilia.] 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
433 
are ovate. Head rather long* with nine plates, frontal plate 
being divided ; the snout very blunt, truncated ; the upper 
central labial scale octangular, with a deep concavity on 
the labial margin ; the anterior and posterior mental scales 
long. The tail one-fourth the length of the body, covered 
with uniform ovate quadrangular scales. Length, four feet. 
This species appears to have a considerable affinity to 
the genus named Macrosoma by Dr. Leach, but not de- 
scribed by him, and is very much like Coluber decorus of 
Shaw. It belongs to the group called by English Zoolo- 
gists, Whip Snakes. 
The specimen above described was taken by Mr. James 
Hunter, at Careening Bay, on the north coast, and presented 
by him to the British Museum. 
9. Leptophis spilotus. 
Coluber spilotus, Lacepede, Ann, Mus, iv* 209. 
A specimen of this snake was brought home by Captain 
King, agreeing very well with the short description given by 
Lacepede, in his account of some new species of animals 
from New Holland. It has not been taken notice of in the 
modern works on Reptiles. It may, perhaps, be distinct 
from it ; but upon considering that upwards of two hundred 
species of this genus have been already described, I thought 
it best not to increase the number without very good reason. 
This species forms a second section in the genus Leptophis, 
on account of the form of its scales, particularly those of the 
throat. 
Captain King has informed me that turtles of two or three 
kinds are common on the coasts of Australia, particularly 
within the tropic ; and Alligators were seen, in great abun- 
dance, in the rivers of the northern and north«western coasts, 
VoL. II. 2 F 
