228 PROCEEDINGS OP THE ACADEMY OF 



a. Premaxillary simple. Premaxillary double. 



Teidae. Scincidae. 



Lacertidae. Sepsidse. 



Chalcididse. 

 Ecpleopidae. 



Ttphlophthalmi. 



Temporal bone superior plate elongate. 



Arches incomplete or wanting. 



Articular and angular confluent. Suspensoria one or two. 



Dentary, inferior process elongate. 



Premaxillary single or double. 



Clavicles very slender, transverse rudimentary or wanting. 



Mesosternum and other sternal pieces wanting. 



Tongue squamous or papillose, simple. Anelytropidae, Acontiidse. 



Aniellidae. 

 Of the families here proposed or adopted, the Anolidse deserves first men- 

 tion. Its peculiarities are want of articular bone ; absence of xiphisternal 

 fontanelle ; presence of abdominal ribs ; in these points agreeing with the 

 Nyctisaura or Gecconidae, and differing from the mass of the Iguanidae. Still, 

 among the latter Polychrus forms a close connection, wanting the xiphisternal 

 fontanelle, and having the abdominal ribs. 



A n g u i d se. This family I have constructed from fragments of the old Zonu- 

 ridae and Scincidae ; agreeing with Peters in referring the Old World repre- 

 sentatives of the former to tbe Lacertidse, and those of the New to the neigh- 

 borhood of Heloderma. From the Scincidae I have taken the New World 

 Diploglossinae, finding them possessed of the same peculiar characters which 

 associate the Pseudopus with Gerrhonotus and Heloderma. The families rep- 

 resented by these types differ as follows. None of them have the dilated 

 maxillary laminae of the Scincidae : 

 A foramen (often large) from nasal meatus to palate on 



each side of premaxillary. Internasal plate large, 



transverse. Two or more pairs of supranasals.* 



Head shielded behind. Mesosternum cruciform... Anguidae. 

 No premaxillary foramen. Two or more pairs of supra- 



nasals. Internasal plate small or wanting. Head 



scaled behind. Mesosternum cruciform Gerrhonotidae. 



No premaxillary foramen. Head tubercularly scaled. 



Mesosternum simple Helod e r m i dae. 



There are four sub-groups among the genera of Anguidae, viz. : Opheosau- 

 rinae, with the anterior limb of the mesosternum very short or wanting ; the 

 dorsal scales in cross rows and a lateral fold ; genera Dopasia, Pseudopus, 

 Opheosaurus and Opheodes : Opheomorinae without side fold, and with trans- 

 verse dorsal rows, Opheomorus : Anguinae with shortened mesosternum, 

 quincuncial dorsal scales and no lateral fold Anguis : Diploglossinae without 

 lateral fold, with elongate anterior limb of mesosternum and quincuncial 

 dorsal scales, containing Onida, Panolopus, Sauresia, (== Emhryopus Weinl.) 

 Diploglossus, Microlepis and Camilia : (in C. monotropis Pet. I have ob- 

 served an apparent exception to the rule of the retractility of the end of the 

 tongue in this tribe. )+ 



Of the Gerrhonotidae I know but the two genera, Barissia and Gerrhonotus. 

 Xenosaurus Pet. resembles the succeeding family rather than this ; I have not 

 had the opportunity of seeing its sternum. 

 Among the Leptoglossae with a simple premaxillary, the Teidae only have 



* Except Opheomorus. 

 fVid. Proc. A N. S. 1862, 188. 



[Oct. 



