52 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OP 



an internasal, a frontal, an interparietal and two parietals, but in both descrip- 

 tions the preanal scale is represented as single. 



The scales upon the head, as given by Mr. Gray, are very different 

 from those of the genus under consideration, the characters of which approach 

 nearest perhaps to those of Feylinia, Gray, Cat. Lizards of British Museum, p. 

 129, in which the preanal scales are numerous. Feylinia is characterized as 

 having a moderate rostral, no eyes, with scales in front of the vent like those of 

 the belly, and a tapering tail, a description which does not represent our animal. 

 The scales upon the back appear to be somewhat larger than those upon the 

 sides ; those upon the abdomen and under part of tail are very finely striated, 

 upon the back also, but the striations are less distinct. 



Should no generic name have been previously given to this Scincoid, we would 

 propose that of SpUenorhina. 



Sphenorhina elegans, nob. 



Syn. Aconiias elegans^ Hallowell, Proceed. A. N. S. vol. vi., p. 616. 



Char. Head rather small, depressed ; snout enclosed in a single scale ; nostrils 

 lateral, with a semicircular slit reaching to the posterior margin of the rostral ; 

 three large plates upon the top of the head in a longitudinal line ; the first, which 

 is heptagonal, situated immediately behind two small plates posterior to the 

 rostral ; the second regularly hexagonal ; the third presenting three distinct mar- 

 gins in front, the posterior margin rounded ; eyes concealed by a scale, but quite 

 visible ; body cylindrical, somewhat depressed, covered with twenty-two trans- 

 verse and one hundred and seventy-three longitudinal rows of smooth scales, 

 including fifty-six upon the tail ; the latter of moderate length, of nearly equal 

 thickness throughout, except at the posterior extremity, where it is conical ; four 

 scales in front of the anus, smaller than those which cover the rest of the body. 

 Total length 9 inches 7 lines ; tail 2| inches ; circumference 13 lines. 



JIabilat. Gaboon. Two specimens in Mus. Acad. N. S. presented by Dr. H. 

 Ford. 



Order OPHIDII. 



Fam. SYKCRATERIANS. (Innocui.) 



Leptophis smaragdinus, Dumeril et Bibron. 



Syn. Dendroplm smaragdhia, Boie. MS. Schlegel, Essai sur la Physiognomie des 

 Serpens, La Haye, 1837, p. 237, Id. Traill's Translation, p. 156, 1843. 



Ab. scut. 158; a double preanal; sub-caud. 135, in Dumeril and Bibron's spe- 

 cimen 154 ; 15 rows of carinated scales ; sides of abdomen very angular. Total 

 length 2 feet 6 lines ; of tail 9 inches 4 lines. 



One specimen, Gaboon ; presented by Dr. H. A Ford. 



Gen. Remarks. Dendrophis Chenonii, Reinhardt, appears to be a different 

 serpent ; the anterior frontals in the figure of that species (Reinhardt, nye Slan- 

 genarter, fig. 13,)* are quite small ; in L. smaragdinus their internal margin is 

 much larger than that of the posterior, the reverse is the case in D. Chenonii. 

 L. smaragdinus is now one of the best determined species first described in 

 print, and very accurately, by Prof. Schlegel. 



Among the specimens sent by Dr. Ford is an arboricole serpent, having a 

 general resemblance to Leptophis smaragdinus, but which, on a careful examina- 

 tion, differs so much in its characters from those of Leptophis, that we do not 

 hesitate to make it a distinct genus, and for the following reasons : The head is 

 more robust and not so long, the anterior frontals are smaller comparatively, 

 the vertical is shorter, as are also the occipitals ; indeed, all the plates upon the 



*Beskrivelse Af Nogle nye Slangenarter ved J. Th. Reinhardt. Kjobenhavn. 

 Trykt L Bianco Lunos Bogtrykkeri. 1843. 



[Feb. 



