62 THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY 



them there are close resemblances of L. Burtoni, L. bicatenata, 

 and L. punctulata, but I find myself quite unable to come to any 

 conclusion as to the identity of any of them. The second of 

 these species — bicatenata, is placed by Gray in his " Lizards of 

 Australia and New Zealand," as a synonym of L. Burtonii, while 

 Dr. Gunther makes it a synonym of L. punctulata. The whole 

 family wants revision and redescription, and until this is done it 

 is a mere waste of time to attempt to define species. 



Family SCINCID^E. 

 6. — Hinuija Papuensis. 

 Ear opening vertical, oval, and without denticulations ; rostral 

 plate large and rounded above ; nasals large, distant ; internasal 

 much broader than long, emarginate in front where it meets the 

 rostral, and broadly rounded behind where it meets the fronto- 

 nasals ; there are two small post-nasals, the uppermost very small 

 and in contact with the lateral angle of the internasal ; the 

 fronto-nasals are contiguous behind, in front a small plate inter- 

 venes; supraorbitals, six on each side ; scales on the back in 12 or 

 more series ; colour, pale brown on the back, thickly marked 

 with darker, transverse, irregular bars ; on the sides the marks 

 are blacker and more longitudinal ; the under surface is of a 

 yellowish white, a little spotted about the lips with black ; the 

 legs are strong and marked like the body ; the tail is slightly- 

 compressed towards the apex. The whole animal is of a robust 

 form. 



One specimen, about 10 inches long, was procured at Katow. 

 This species shows an affinity to Hinulia naevia of Gray, the 

 Lygosoma melanopogon of Dumeril and Bibron. 



7. — Hinulia atrocostata. 



Of slender form and rather weak limbs ; nasal plates not con- 

 tiguous, fronto-nasals contiguous ; supraorbital region of 4 plates 

 and a little elevated ; the first five upper labials equal and nearly 

 square, the sixth and seventh larger and pentagonal ; ear open- 

 ings round and unarmed ; colour, pale brown above, with a few 

 dark spots on the back, and a number of black transverse streaks 



