139 



OPHISAURUS .—Daudin. Dumeril ct Bibron. 



Genus Ophisaurus. — Characters. Head sub-oval; craneal plates very nume- 

 rous; nostrils lateral; nasal plate single; eye-lids two, of unequal size; tongue 

 arrow-shaped, notched in front, free in its anterior third, covered before Avith 

 granular, and behind with filiform papillte; palatine teeth in several rows; inter- 

 maxillary teeth conical; maxillary, sub-cylindrical and simple; body serpentiform, 

 with a deep longitudinal groove on each side; extremities wanting. 



OPHISAURUS VENTRALIS.— Lm«»?<s. 



Plate XX. 



Characters. Head sub-oval; snout rather long; body elongated, cylindrical, 

 with a deep groove on each flank; body and tail with lines of black, green and 

 yellow, each scale being marked with these three colours; abdomen yellow; under 

 surface of tail dirty yellow, upper surface like the back. 



Synonfmes. Glass snake, Catesby, Carol., &c., vol. ii. p. 59, pi. lix. 

 Anguis ventralis, Linnseus, Syst. Nat., torn. i. p. 391. 

 Le Jaune et Brun, Laceplde, Quad. Ovip., torn. ii. p. 447. 

 Anguis ventralis, Gnielin, Syst. Nat. Lin., torn. i. pars iii. p. 1122. 

 Chamajsaura ventralis, Schneider', Hist. Amphib., torn. ii. p. 215, 342. 

 Anguis ventralis, Latreille, Hist. Nat. Rept., torn. iv. p. 223. 

 Ophisaurus ventralis, Daudin, Hist. Nat. des Rept, torn. vii. p. 352. 



