SAURIA. 47 



bia, whence it is sent to Alexandria, and from there distributed 

 throughout Europe. It possesses a surprising facility of burying 

 itself in the sand when pursued.(l) 



Among those which have blunt muzzles we may observe a spe- 

 cies diffused throughout Indian the Sc. rufescens, which is green- 

 ish, with a yellowish line along the flanks; each scale has three 

 small ridges. 



There is one from the south of Africa, very common in the 

 vicinity of the Capej the Sc. trivittatus, brown; three paler lines 

 along the back and tail; black spots between the lines.(2) 



But above all we should remark the great Levant species, 



Sc. cyprius, Cuv.; Lac. cyprius sincoides, Aldrov., Quadr.,Dig. 



666; Geoff. Eg. Rept. pi. iii, f. 3, under the name of Jlnolis gi- 



gantesque, which is greenish, with smooth scales; the tail longer 



than the body, and a pale line along each flank. 



In others, the Tilirua of Gray, the palatine teeth are wanting. 



There is one of these very common in the south of Europe, 

 Sardinia, Sicily, and Egypt; Sc.variegatas, Sc.ocellatus, Schn.; 

 Daud., IV, Ivi; Geoff. Eg. Rept. pi. v, f. 1, under the name of 

 Jlnolis niarbre; and better, Savigny,Ib., Supp. pi. ii, f. 7, which 

 has small, round black spots, each marked with a white streak 

 on the back, flanks, and tail. There is most commonly a pale 

 line along each side of the back. 



The French Antilles produce several species, one of which is 



(1) The Greeks and Latins called the Terrestrial Crocodik, Scincus; it was con- 

 sequently a Monitor to which they attributed so many virtues; but since the mid- 

 dle century, the above species is usually sold under this name, and for the same 

 purposes. Eastern nations, in particular, consider it as a powerful aphrodisiac. 



(2) Add Sc. erythrocephalus, Gilliams, Ac Nat. Sc. Phil. I, xviii [or the Scorpion 

 Lizard, Penn. .Am. Ed.].Sc. bicobr, Harlan, lb. IV, xviii, l;Sc. multiseria. 

 tus. Nob. ; Geoff. Eg. Rep. IV, f. 4, under the name of Jlnolis pav^We also think 

 it proper to refer to this subdivision, although we have not been able to procure 

 the animal, the great Scincus, called in Jamaica the Galley-Wasp; Sloane, II, 

 pi. 273, f 9 {Lac. ocddua, Sh.). 



[N.15. A new species of Scincus has lately been described by Messrs Peale and 

 Green, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. Vol. VI, f. 233, under the specific appellation 

 of ventralis. It is about fifteen inches in length, and is thus designated, " Scincus 

 ventralis. Cauda longa: corpore supra olivacea, cum maculis nigi-is, subtus albeo; 

 squamis dorsalibus carinatis et imbricatis; plica maculata in utroque latere corpo- 

 ris: palmis et plantes pentadactylis." 



Tliough the descrlbers of this species prefer considering it a Scincus, they think 

 it might very properly constitute a new genus under the name of Ptekogastebcs. 

 It inhabits Mexico, and is called Escorpion by the natives of that country, who 

 consider it extremely venomous- Am. Ed. ] 



