xiii GLAUCONIIDAE ILYSIIDAE UROPELTIDAE 595 



protruding between the scales on either side of the vent. The 

 eyes are very small, and are either free or covered by trans- 

 parent shields. The few, scarcely half-a-dozen, species are found 

 in South America (Ilysict) and in Ceylon, the Malay Islands, 

 and Indo-China. 



Hysia (Tortrix) scytcde, the Coral-Snake of Tropical South 

 America, is a beautiful coral-red with black rings. On account 

 of its beauty, perfectly harmless nature, and for " cooling 

 purposes," this snake, which grows to nearly a yard in length, is 

 sometimes worn as a necklace by native ladies. All the Ily- 

 siidae lead a partly burrowing life, live chiefly upon worms, 

 insects, and little Typhlopidae, and are viviparous. 



Fam. 4. Uropeltidae. Burrowing snakes of Ceylon and 

 Southern India, with a short and rigid cylindrical body and a 

 very short tail, which ends in a large peculiar shield, often 

 obliquely truncated. The scales of the body are smooth, and are 

 little larger on the belly ; the coloration is mostly very beautiful. 

 The eyes are very small. 



The Uropeltidae are somewhat intermediate between the 

 Ilysiidae, Glauconiidae, and Boidae. The pterygoids do not reach 

 the quadrates ; but ectopterygoids are present ; the quadrates are 

 very small and directly attached to the skull, squamosals being 

 absent. Teeth are carried by the mandibles and by the maxil- 

 laries, which are normal in their position. There are no vestiges 

 of hind-limbs or of the pelvis. The Uropeltidae, of which about 

 forty species are known, are viviparous, burrow in the ground, 

 and frequent damp localities, preferring mountain-forests. The 

 use of the characteristic tail -shield is not clear ; perhaps it 

 assists these rather rigid creatures in digging, by being pressed 

 against the ground. 



Uropeltis. The tail is obliquely truncated, ending in a 

 roundish, flat shield. 



U. grandis s. philippinus. The latter name seems to have 

 misled W. Marshall l into including the Philippine Islands in the 

 range of the family, a mistake which is sure to be propagated. 

 The species, the only one of the genus, is confined to Ceylon ; it 

 is blackish above, yellow below, frequently with small yellow 

 spots above and brown spots on the under surface. It grows to 

 about 18 inches in length. 



1 Atlas der Thierverbreituny, pt. v. Gotha, 1887. 



