Zoology.} NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. ' [Reptiles. 



Plate 161. 



LIALIS BURTONI (Gray). 



Burton's Lialis. 



[Genus LIALIS (Gray). (Sub-kingdom Vertebrata. Class Reptilia. Order Sauria. 

 Sub-order LeptoglossK. Tribe Geissosaura. Family Pygopidae.) 



Oen. Char. — Body snake-like, very long, cylindrical, tapering. Head pointed, parietal 

 bones united into a single one ; teeth sharp, directed backwards, swollen at base ; top of head 

 covered with small, scale-like plates ; external ear-opening obliquely oval ; tongue elongate, 

 tapering, bifid 5 scale-like rudiments of hind limbs very small. Scales soft, smooth, imbricating ; 

 two median abdominal rows and one median sub-caudal row larger than the others. Preanal 

 pores few. Australia and Islands to N.E.] 



Description. — Body and tail sub-cylindrical, very gradually tapering'; tail, 

 when perfect, exceeding the head and body in length. Head long, tapering, with 

 straight sides, to a narrow, obtusely rounded tip; from tip of snout to anterior 

 margin of eye equal to distance from anterior margin of eye to ear in some 

 specimens, but only equals from posterior margin of eye to ear in others ; a narrow, 

 projecting angular ridge from nostril over eye to a little beyond ear, separating the 

 flattened top of the head from the slightly concave cheeks; two rows of scales on 

 prominent margin of lower lip continued some variable distance along sides of body, 

 forming a perceptible ridge ; approximate half of scales of each row usually coloured 

 white with a dark outline, giving the erroneous appearance of two rows of scales 

 smaller than the adjacent ones. Numerous small plates of top of head variable in 

 size, shape and number ; rostral plate bent under, so that the mouth opens behind 

 front edge of snout, about four times wider than high ; about 17 small upper labials. 

 Nostril large, in posterior edge of a swollen nasal plate, with one or two post-nasal 

 plates ; loreal plates of cheek, between nostril and eye, very small, numerous, scale- 

 like; eye small, separated from labials by two or three rows of loreal scales, with a 

 narrow, circular, immovable eyelid, with one or two rows of minute scales ; chin 

 plate very large, sub-pentagonal ; a row of seven or eight large, paddle-shaped 

 plates, each with an abruptly narrowed posterior extension, separated from the lower 

 labials by a row of very small, longitudinally oblong scales. Nineteen or twenty- 

 one rows of scales round middle of body. Hind limbs extremely small, apparently 

 covered by two or three scales, scarcely difiering from the lateral ones of the body, 

 which they follow. Preanal pores two on each side, large, notching posterior edge 

 of the scales; about eighty pairs of enlarged median abdominal plates. Colour: 

 Some specimens (as our figure 1) pale greyish-brown, lighter above, darker below, 

 darkest on the cheeks, with a narrow white band from lower lip a variable distance 

 along sides of body, usually edged with a very fine dark line; a similar white 

 streak from nostril, running along angle over eye and ear a short distance along 

 neck, and with a small, dark dot in centre of each scale of back (var. L. punctulata) ; 

 others of richer brown, darker below, with about eight rows of large white spots on 

 under side, and five or seven narrow, dark streaks along back, the middle one opening 

 out into two on head, uniting again on snout (var. L. Burtoni) ; other specimens 

 have dark, vertical markings on cheeks, and larger and darker triangular patches on 



Vol. II.— Decade XVII.— 2 m. [ 229 ] 



