51 

 Family IV.— ERYCIDiE. 



Body moderate, rounded ; tail very short ; head with a 

 broad snout. Eye small with vertical pupil. Head scal ed. 

 Scales small in numerous rows. Ventrals narrow, sub- 

 caudals single. Rudimentary hind limbs visible, as in the 

 Python, but only in the male. 



GONGYLOPHIS, Wagler. 



Head flat, oblong, scarcely distinct. Scales keeled. Chin 

 scaled, luithout mental groove. ~ ~ " 



GL_coNicus, Schneider. The Red Sand-Snake. Plate IX, fig. 3. /^ 



Scales 41-53. Yentrals 168-186, subc. 17-23. Small 

 ]»abials, 15, a rostral and two small frontals are the only 

 head-shields ; the orbit is surrounded by scales. Grey with, 

 an irregular vertebral chain formed by dorsal coalescing ijlM'^^' 

 rows of reddish brown blotches ; belly white. Grows to, ^ L,i 

 8 feet, of which the tail 1 J inches. 

 Common in Southern India. 



'U 





h/^ 



CURSORIA, Gray. hjitit) P^^' Vc^^ C 



Similar to the preceding genus, but with smooth scales. 



C. ELEGANS, Gray. 



Scales 36. A solitary museum specimen. 



ERYX, D. and B. 



Head hardly distinct, snout obtusely conical, with a 

 sharp transverse edge. Scales keeled, but much less than 

 in Gongylophis. A mental groove. 



9 



E. JOHNii, Russell. The Black Sand-Snake. Plate IX, fig. 4. 

 Scales 50-65. Yentrals 189-209, subc. 19-36. Similar to 

 Gongylophis but the scales are much smoother and the tail 

 more cylindrical. Dark olive above and below with 

 numerous black blotches or unsymmetrical cross-bars. 



