142 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 



THE "GLASS-SNAKE" OF FORMOSA. 



The occurrence of an Ophisaurus in Formosa was first announced by 

 Van Denburgh (Proc. California Acad. Sci. (4) vol. 3, Dec. 20, 1909, p. 60). 

 He had not been able to examine the specimen which was then in the col- 

 lection of the Taiwan Medical School, and he could only suspect its proba- 

 ble identity with Boulenger's 0. harti (Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1899, p. 

 160, pi. 16) from Fokien, China. It was similarly recorded in my paper on 

 "The Batrachians and Reptiles of Formosa" (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 

 38, May 3, 1910, p. 102). 



Dr. M. Oshima has kindly forwarded this specimen which now forms 

 part of the collection of the Institute of Science, Government of Formosa, 

 for my inspection, together with an additional specimen in the same 

 museum and collected about five years ago at Arisan, middle part of the 

 island. Owing to its somewhat different aspect, he thought the two speci- 

 mens might represent different species. 



The first one is older, stouter, with reproduced tail, and from long ex- 

 posure to light (?) absolutely colorless. The other is younger, more slender, 

 with complete tail, and with a characteristic color pattern. 



Fortunately the U. S. National Museum possesses a very good specimen 

 of O. harti collected within 200 miles of Foo Chow, Fokien, China, conse- 

 quently not far from the type locality, which is Kuatun, about 270 miles 

 from the same city. 



The three specimens have been carefully compared with the result that 

 no essential difference between them could be found. Slight individual 

 variation is shown in the headshields, but nothing beyond what might be 

 expected in these rather variable lizards. Mr. F. N. Blanchard, my assis- 

 tant, has made a count of the body scales with the result that the number 

 of transverse series, counted from beginning of lateral groove to vent is 101 

 and 98 in the two Formosan specimens, and 99 in the Chinese specimen, 

 while the dorsals and ventrals, in a series around the body, are 16 and 10 

 respectively in all three specimens. 



The color pattern of the younger Formosan specimen is essentially that 

 of the Chinese specimen in the National Museum. In these there is a 

 distinct brownish longitudinal line from the eye to the end of the tail be- 

 tween the keels of the third and fourth dorsal scales, and a more faintly 

 indicated and interrupted line down the middle of the back. Between 

 these and connected with them there are a number of dusky lines or bands 

 across the back. The lateral line extends anteriorly through the eye to 

 the loreal region which is all dusky. In the Formosan specimen there is 

 an indication of a narrow pale edge above the lateral line from nostril to 

 side of neck. 



I therefore have no doubt that the Formosan specimens are correctly 

 identified as Ophisaurus harti. — Leonhard Stejneger. 



