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Show 1903.] ON VARIATIONS OF THE SAND-VIPER. 185 ? Batistes bipes Gronow, Cat. Fish. p. 37 (1854). Triacanthus brevirostris (part.) Gunther, Cat. viii. p. 209 (1870). Depth of body about 2^- times in the total length, length of head 3|-3f times, length of caudal peduncle 41-4^ times. Snout straight, about 2i times in the length of head ; eye-diameter about 3^ times and equal to interorbital width. Length of postorbital part of head less than eye-diameter. Interorbital space with median ridge with a groove on each side of i t ; occipital crest strongly elevated, the distance from the base of first dorsal spine to the upper angle of gill-opening rather more than the distance from the base of the first dorsal spine to the anterior margin of eye. D. V, 24-25 ; A. 18-20; first dorsal spine longer than the head, the others short; length of base of anal fin about 1 \ times in that of the base of soft dorsal fin ; pelvis between the ventral spines broad, not much narrowed posteriorly ; membrane between first two rays of spinous dorsal fin blackish. Total length 126 mm. Hab. East Indian Archipelago. This species has a shorter and more declivous snout than Tr. brevirostris, and also occipital crest more elevated, postorbital part of head shorter and body deeper. 5. On the Geographical Variations of the Sand-Viper, Viper a ammodytes. B y G. A. B o u le n g e r , F.R.S., V.P.Z.S. [Received January 30, 1903.] (Text-figures 27 & 28.) The variations of Vipera ammodytes in connection with the distribution of the species have not received sufficient attention. Having succeeded in bringing together and carefully comparing a series of 55 specimens from various localities, I have convinced myself that the South-eastern specimens (Greece, Archipelago, Syria) can be distinguished from the typical form from Austria- Hungary, Dalmatia, Bosnia, and Montenegro, not by means of any single absolute character, but by a combination of characters, as shown by the following definitions:- ' Forma typica (text-fig. 27 a).-Naso-rostral shield usually 1 reaching the canthus rostralis, and extending considerably higher up than the upper border of the rostral, which is usually broader than deep (text-fig. 28 a) ; rostral " horn " with 3 (rarely 2 or 4) transverse series of scales between the rostral shield and the apex. Ventral shields 145 to 163. The dark shade on the lower lip, if present, broken up by light bars separated by 2 to 4 labial shields. Lower surface of end of tail usually red \ Grows to 80 centimetres. Var. meridionalis (text-fig. 27 b )- Naso-rostral shield never 1 5 exceptions out of 30 specimens examined 2 Yellow in one specimen from the Din uric Alps, Bosnia. |