s 
THE ORDER OE SNAKES— OPHIDIA. 
second two are varieties of eacli other, tire young brought forth differing 
greatly in colour even in the same litter. The dark variety has been 
described as Hop loccp h ahis fuscus by M. Steindachner ; but Mr. George 
Masters captured a large number of both kinds of snakes in Tasmania, 
and took from a gravid female some thirty-five young, half of which were 
banded, and of a light colour, and the rest black. 
The third Tasmanian Snake is very small, only about 16 or 20 inches 
long, and, though venomous, not dangerous. This reptile is known as 
the Whip Snake (Hop)locephalus coronoidesj , and is allied to the New South 
Wales Black-bellied Snake (Hoploceplialus signatus), and to Masters’ Snake 
('Hoploceplialus mastersii) of South Australia. 
"We do not know exactly how many snakes Victoria produces. In 
the south, the Tiger Snake (Hoploceplialus curtus) and the Tasmanian 
Diamond Snake (II. superbus) are met with; also the little Black-bellied 
Snake (Hoploceplialus signatus ) and the Black Snake (Pseudecliis porphj- 
riacus). Near the New South Wales boundary, on the Murray, we find 
in addition the Death Adder (Acanthophis antarctica), the Green-bellied or 
Grey Snake (Diemenia reticulata), the Brown Snake ( Diemenia super- 
ciliosa), and probably also the innocuous Green Tree Snake (Dendropliis 
punctulata), and the Carpet Snake (Morelia variegate). 
There occur in South Australia, in addition to the above, several 
small venomous Ophidians ; the Death Adder is, however, very scarce, 
and, further west, altogether absent. Near King George’s Sound are 
found many snakes of the brown-banded species, of a very marked colour, 
and with the bands much more distinct than in eastern specimens ; small 
Hoplocepliali, and particularly Hoploceplialus coronoides, abound on the 
barren hills near the Sound, but of the Ophidio-fauna further to the north¬ 
west our knowledge is limited. 
Returning to New South Wales, we observe, in addition to the 
specimens enumerated from Victoria, the Diamond Snake (Morelia 
spilotes), and the Brown Tree Snake (Dipsas fusca), but miss the 
Tasmanian Diamond Snake (Hoploceplialus superbus). There is also a 
goodly number of small Ophidian reptiles, which will be fully described 
hereafter. Near the Queensland boundary, in the Clarence and Rich- 
