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Show 1894.] OPHIDIA OF TRINIDAD, B. W. I. 507 nine or ten eggs which they lay to hatch. They are exceedingly fond of water, in which they will lie for days at a time. They often fall a prey to Elaps lemniscatus, of wThich they stand in tbe greatest fear. They only survive its bite about four minutes. The Creoles call these snakes " Beh belle chemin," or " Beauty of the Boad." They are frequently to be seen crossing dusty roads in the early morning or evening, probably for the purpose of hunting in the ditches which run on either side of our thoroughfares. LIOPHIS REGINA. The adult snake is a very beautiful one, being in colour greenish yellow when it has freshly cast its skin, and looking as if a piece of black mosquito curtain had been strained over it. Sometimes the ground-colour is brighter. It feeds well ou frogs and lizards and is not at all fierce. Perfect specimens are rare, a large part of the tail being usually missing. They flatten their necks when irritated. They are found in mangrove-swamps and in the vicinity of streams. LIOPHIS COBELLA. This interesting little creature is found in the man grove-swamps, sometimes in brackish water and close to the sea. It is known to the Creoles as " Mapepiri Mangue." It feeds almost solely on frogs, which it pursues with great energy and devours very quickly, sometimes eating as many as 12 or 14 at a meal of the little Yellow-throated Frog, Phyllobates trinitatis (Garman). The females have usually faint transverse stripes on the back, caused by the arrangement of slate-coloured scales with grey edges. The general appearance, however, is mottled slate and grey. The male is more gorgeous, being mottled with black, olive-brown, and dirty yellow ; the scales of the lower jaw are grey. The ventrals are chequered with large black spots on a white surface. W e have seen these snakes 3 feet in length, but the average size is 18 inches. Once, and only once, have we known a Cobella to devour a lizard-a gecko, Thecadactylus rapicauda. These snakes are good swimmers, and on one occasion w e watched one for half an hour swimming in a little pool in the swamps. It constantly dived and thrust its head amongst the weeds at the bottom, from whence, after remaining a few minutes, it came to the surface for air. A snake of this species laid several eggs, one of which hatched. The young one was perfectly black ; being deformed it only survived a week or two, refusing all food. COLUBER BODDAERTI. This snake is known locally as " Machete couesse," which is explained as meaning " Grass Machete." Machete is Spanish for cutlass, and many snakes are known as Machetes because their backs are somewhat ridged, reminding the Creole labourer of a cutlass. But this description does not apply to Coluber boddaerti, |