TYPHLOPS HORSFIELDII. 173 



Body surrounded by twenty-six longitudinal series of scales. I count 353 transverse series 

 (326, Dum. & Bibr.) ; eight round the tail. 



The back (eleven dorsal series of scales) is bluish black, the belly yellowish, both colours 

 being well defined. 



This species is found at Pinang, Singapore, and in Sumatra ; it attains to a length of 

 14 inches. 



The three views of the head on Plate XVI. are of twice its natural size. 



Typhlops HORSFIELDII. (Plate XVI. figs. E, E'.) 



? Typhlops diardii, Schleff. Abbild. p. 39. Dum. ^ Bibr. vi. p. 300. 

 Argyrophis horsfieldii, Gray, Lizards, p. 137. 



Closely allied to T. nigro-albus. 



The width of the upper part of the rostral shield is one-third of that of the head, and not 

 much more than that of its lower portion. Nostril lateral : nasal united with fronto-nasal 

 above the nostril; its lower portion is considerably broader than that of the fronto-nasal. 

 The fronto-nasals extend backwards to behind the rostral, but remain widely separate. 

 Prseocular subequal in size to the ocular, which extends as far backwards as the hinder labial. 

 The labials are the same as in T. nigro-albus. 



The size of the scale-like shields on the crown of the head varies in different individuals : — 



a. In specimens from Assam and Khasya (fig. E) the supraoculars and parietals are larger 

 and broader than the frontals and interparietal. 



b. In a specimen from the coast of Tenasserim (fig. E') the anterior frontal is the largest 

 scale, and the interparietal the smallest. 



c. The typical specimen of T. diardii is from Cochinchina, and, if we are correct in 

 identifying it with A. horsfieldii, it is a third variation, having the interparietal larger than 

 the prEefrontal. 



The body is thicker behind than in front ; tlie circumference in its middle is one-tenth of 

 its length. The tail is slightly curved, extremely short, its length being equal to, or rather 

 less than, the width of the head ; it terminates in a minute spine. The body is surrounded 

 by twenty-six longitudinal series of scales. I count in a specimen 



from Assam 315 transverse series. 



from Tenasserim 304 „ „ 



from Assam 304 ,, „ 



and in the typical specimen (Khasya) .288 „ „ 



Nine series round the tail. 



Blackish olive above, this colour gradually passing into the dull yellowish of the belly. 



This species has been found in Kliasya, Assam, on the Tenasserim coast, and in Cochin- 

 china. It attains to a length of 17 inches. 



The different views of the head are of twice its natural size. 



