1894.] NATITRAI. SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 113 



the body, of many rings and numerous caudal vertebrae. Ears 

 large. Dorsal disk with 9-7 free bands. Tatusia peba &c." 



"2. Maletia. — Tail short, depressed at base, not so long as the 

 body, with thirteen rings and thirteen caudal vertebrae. Ears small, 

 dorsal disk with six free bands. Muletia septemcinda &c." 



As above characterized, Dr. Gray's new genus is a fair sample of 

 more than half the new genera proposed by him! No very careful 

 examination will show that the two species which he makes typical of 

 these genera share equally some of the characters assigned as dis- 

 tinctive, while those given which are distinct are of doubtful generic 

 or subgeneric value. The number of free dorsal bands above is 

 doubtfully of more than specific value between the numbers 10 

 and 6. Tatusia novemcincta has from 8 to 10. Desmarest says that 

 ^^ Dasyjnis hjbridus" has "six ou sept bandes mobiles a la cuirasse." 



However, in makiug an examination of the specimen above de- 

 scribed as new, I was struck to find in it not only a superficial re- 

 semblance to T. hyhrida as compared with T. peba, but that it agreed 

 with Dr. Gray's figure of hyhrida (1. c. PI. XLI) in having only 

 twelve upper teeth as against the fourteen or sixteen always present 

 in T. novemcinda. To convince myself of the constancy of this 

 character I have examined several skulls of both species and found 

 no exception. In all the other plates of the various newly described 

 Tatusiiue I have seen, in no case are they represented with less than 

 fourteen upper teeth. 



Should a more exhaustive examination show no exceptions, it 

 would be proper to at least accord subgeneric rank to iLTw/eim, with 

 the following diagnosis : 



Genus TATUSIA. 



Tail longer than body, its first basal ring complete, the distal two- 

 thirds with a well-defined inferior median canal, increasing in depth 

 with age, and in number to three and five near the extremity. 

 Caudal rings convex, each closely compressed posteriorly upon the 

 next. Dorsal disk with eight to ten free bands; upper molars, four- 

 teen to sixteen; lower molars, ditto. Type Tatusia novemcinda 

 (Linn.) Cuv. 



Subgenus MULETIA. 



Tail not exceeding length of body, not channeled distally. Cau- 

 dal rings with free, elevated posterior margins, the first basal seg. 



