LIZARDS. 59 



Fam. VIII. Chirocoles, (Chirocolid^). 



Head covered with regular many-sided shields. Tongue scaly, 

 imbricate. Palate toothless. Nostrils lateral, in a single plate. 

 Eyelids distinct, lower transparent. Collar double. Ears hidden 

 under the skin. Body and tail elongate subcylindrical. Scales of 

 the back, sides and tail slender, 6-sided, lanceolate, keeled, imbri- 

 cate, in regular rings, those of the neighbouring rings alternating 

 with each other ; of the belly square, smooth, imbricate, in longi- 

 tudinal series. Legs 4, short. Femoral pores numerous, in the 

 centre of a scale. 



1. Heterodactylus, Spix, Chirocolus, Wagl. Chalcides, Cuv. 



Toes 5-5, hinder elongate, very unequal, the front thumb very 

 short, rudimentary. 



The Chirocole. Heterodactylus imbricatus, Spix, Braz. t. 

 27, f. 1, not good. Gray, Ann. N. H. i. 392. Schinz, Rept. 106, t. 

 41,/ 4. Dimi. et Bib. E. G. v. 447. 



Brown, with a pale streak upon each side; scales of the back 

 keeled ; abdominal shields 6-rowed ; preanal plates 3. 



Inhab. Brazils. Mus. Zool. Soc. Mus. Paris, 1 specimen. 



Fam. IX. Cercosaures, (Cercosaurid^). 



Head with regular many-sided shields. Upper eyelids very 

 short. Ears distinct. Throat with a double series of shields. Col- 

 lar rather distinct. The body subcylindrical. Sides rounded, 

 with scales like the back. Back and upper part of the tail with 

 rings of large keeled scales forming longitudinal series. Belly 

 and tail beneath with flat square shields in longitudinal series. 

 Legs 4, moderate. Toes 5-5, unequal, smooth beneath. Tail 

 round. America. 



Synopsis of the Genera. 



1. Cercosaura. Body elongate. Scales of back oblong, bluntly 



keeled. Femoral pores none^ 



2. Lepisoma. Body fusiform. Scales of back narrow, keeled. 

 Femoral pores distinct. 



