U AUSTRALIAN SNAKES. 



Gray's Blind Snake. Typhlops nigrescens. 



(Plate V, figs. 12, 12a, 12b.) 

 Typhlops nigrescens. Gray, Cat. of Lizards in Col. Brit. Mus., p. 135. 



Dr. J. E. Gray gives the followmg description of this species: — " Body 

 slender, hlackish ; chin and under side white, the line of separation rather 

 ragged ; the dorsal scales pale edged, especially on the front ; head whitish 

 in front, the head shields more or less clouded with grey in the centre ; 

 the rostral moderate, rounded above, rather curved on the sides ; central 

 crown-shields rhombic, as long as broad, the first the largest, the second 

 and third of equal sizes ; tail short, and tapering, rather longer than wide, 

 tip rather blunt, scarcely incurved." The typical specimen in the British 

 Museum collection was found at Parramatta ; another example in Vienna 

 was obtained by the naturalists of the "Novara," probably from the neigh- 

 boui"hood of Sydney. The last specimen measures 33 inches 5 lines, the 

 tail being one inch long. The figures are considerably enlarged. 



West Australian Blind Snake. Typhlops australis. 



Typhlops australis, Gray, Gat. of Lizards in Col. Brit. Mus. 



Coloration a uniform pale yellow; rostral shield brown, nasal brown 

 and rounded above ; the central crown-shields nearly as long as broad, six- 

 sided, the second (frontal) the smallest, the first and third nearly equal 

 sized ; tail very short, about as long as wide. 



Dr. Gray, from whose description the above notes are taken, mentions 

 West Australia as the habitat of this species. 



Btjppell's Blind Snake. Typhlops rilppelli. 



(Plate V, fig. 11.) 

 Typhlops I'iippelli, Jan, Icon., libr. 9, pi. 1, f. 2. 



Scales in 22 rows. 



Total length, 22 inches. 



Tail, 1 inch. 

 Rostral shield large and broad above, narrowing below ; preoculars 

 much larger at the base than at the tip, third upper labial in contact with 

 the ocular and preocular ; anterior scales smaller than the posterior 

 ones ; tail short, cylindrical, very obtuse, three times the length of its 

 diameter, and ending in a small spine. 



Coloration, brownish grey above, and yellowish below ; each scale 

 of the back being bordered with yellowish white, the markings becoming 

 obsolete posteriorly. The form is cylindrical, enlarging towards the tail. 

 Habitat, New South Wales. The typical specimens in the Prankfort 

 Museum were obtained in the neighbourhood of Sydney. 



