LIZARDS. 141 



front of an erect eye-shield, and covered by the shield without any 

 eyelids. Eyebrow-shields none. Tongue elongate, flat, forked at 

 the tip. Body cylindrical. Scales 6-sided, smooth, those of the 

 hinder part and above the tail sometimes 2-keeled. Vent with 3 

 scales in front. Tail cylindrical, obliquely truncated above. 



This family is intermediate between the Lizards and the 

 Snakes ; following Cuvier and others, I was induced to refer it 

 to the latter order, and therefore did not insert it in the Synopsis 

 of the Families : but on reexamination, and comparison with the 

 various modifications presented by the genera of Typhlopsidae, 

 I have been induced to place it in this order. Cuvier seems to 

 have been in doubt, for though he placed the genus with the 

 snakes, he also regarded the species as a section of the Typhlop- 

 ses. Schlegel names the group Pseudo Typhlops. 



Synopsis of the Genera. 



1. Rhinophis. Tail truncated, covered with an oblong smooth 



shield, rather produced below. 



2. Uropeltis. Tail truncated, and covered above by a mode- 

 rately granular shield. Lower edge rounded. 



3. SiLUBouRA. Tail convex, and covered above with 2-keeled 

 scales. Lower edge with a sharp-edged 2-tubercled scale. 



1. Rhinophis, Hempr. 



Tail obliquely truncated, upper part rather convex, covered 

 with a small oblong shield, lower edge rounded, simple, rather 

 produced. Head acute, tapering in front. Vent-shields in one 

 marginal row. 



The Rhinophis. Rhinophis oxyrhynchus, Wagler^ Syst. 195, 

 ' Hemp. Berl. Mag. " Typhlops oxyrhynchus, Schneid. Amph. 

 ii. 341. Schlegel, Ahhild. t. 12. 



Pale brown, with series of brown spots, one on each scale. 



luhab. ? Mus. Leyden. 



2. Uropeltis (part), Cuvier. Typhlops, part, Cuv.? 



Tail obliquely truncated, flattish, and covered with a flat 

 roundish radiating granular shield, lower edge rounded, the under 

 side of the tail with 6 series of small scales. 



The Philippine Shield-tail. Uropeltis Philippinus, Cuv. 

 R. A. ii. 76. Eydoux, Mag. Zool. Rept. 1837, t. 13. Midler, Tri- 

 verian Zeitsch. Phys. 1831, 248. Typhlops Philippinus, Cuv. R. 

 A. ii. 74. 



Brown, beneath white, the two colours separated by a very re- 

 gular waved line. 



Inhab. Philippine Islands. Mus. Paris. 



