70 SAURIA. 



of which the tail takes 11^. The figures marked C, on Plate VIII., show the four dorsal 

 series of scales and the two pairs of inguinal pores. 



Tachydeomus MERiDiONALis. (Plate VIII. fig. D.) 



This species has hitherto been confounded by Herpetologists with T. sexUneatiis ; we have 

 four specimens before us, which show that the characters by which we distinguish this species 

 are constant. It is as slender as the species from the East Indian Archipelago, with the 

 snout produced and with the tail exceedingly long. The arrangement of the head-shields is 

 the same in all the four species, except that T. japonicus has four pairs of chin-shields : one 

 praefrontal, two postfrontals, one vertical, two pairs of occipitals with one or two odd central 

 ones, the anterior occipitals being much smaller than the lateral. The nasal opening is in a 

 single shield, immediately above the fij'st labial ; one frcenal, one anteorbital, six upper and 

 five lower labials ; temples covered with very small keeled scales. The scales on the back 

 are rounded behind ; a strong ridge along each of the series of scales. The scales on the 

 throat are similar to, and gradually pass into, those of the belly, the collar being very 

 indistinct; there is a small fold before each shoulder. The ventral shields are subqua- 

 drangular, imbricate, obtusely pointed behind, and arranged in twelve longitudinal and 

 twenty-five transverse series. The scales on the tail are arranged in rings and strongly keeled, 

 the keels forming continuous ridges as on the back and belly. Limbs slender, rather feeble ; 

 the anterior do not extend to the end of the snout, nor the posterior to the axil. Claws 

 very feeble. Only one inguinal pore on each side. 



Back brownish olive ; a dark-brown band runs from the snout, through the eye, above the 

 tympanum, to the loin ; this band is separated from the colour of the back by an iridescent 

 lateral stripe. 



This species is found in Southern China, and probably also in Cochinchina. 



Length of the head 5 lines, of the trunk 18 lines, of the tail 1\ inches. The two figures 

 marked D, on Plate VIII., show the four dorsal series of scales and the single inguinal pore 

 on each side. 



Tachydeomus septenteioxalis. (Plate VIII. fig. E.) 



This species, the most northern of the Tachydromi, is more closely allied to the Japanese 

 species than to any other; yet it is so different from the latter in several respects, that it 

 could not be referred to Gray's genus Trachysaiirus, established for T. japonicus. In form 

 it is much less slender than T. mcridionalis and T. sexlineatus ; in the arrangement of the 

 head-shields it difi'ers but little from T. mcridionalis : there is a small detached shield between 

 anteorbital and eye, and there are seven upper and six lower labials. The two vertebral 

 series of scales are much smaller than the lateral ones. The ventral shields are as strongly 

 keeled as those on the back, and arranged in twenty-eight transverse and in eight longitudinal 



