BY WILLIAM MACLEAY, F.L.S., &C. 65 



Class. REPTILIA. 



Order. SAURIA. 



Family. Scincid^e. 



HiNULIA PICTA. n. sp. 



Rostral shield large, very obtusely angled at its contact with 

 the praefrontal. Nasal shields small, distant. Prsefrontal large, 

 rounded in front, and truncate behind with the exception of a 

 small lobe in the middle. Postfrontals pentagonal, in contact 

 with the prsefrontal on their anterior face, and with the vertical 

 behind. The vertical is four-sided, the anterior faces forming a 

 short triangle, the posterior a long one. At the base and on each 

 side of the apex of the vertical, are two rather small occipital 

 shields, and behind these three larger ones, the middle of these 

 beiiig narrower than the others. The orifice of the ear is round 

 and smooth The general colour is a pale lavender grey, slightly 

 darker on the back and tail than on the belly ; the scales are 

 uniformly smooth and glossy. On the head and neck are numerous 

 black and brown marks which appear to take the following order : 

 — An ill-defined black band encircles the nose and muzzle ; 

 another, broad and composed of two black streaks with the inter- 

 vening space bi'ownish, extends from beneath the eye across the 

 throat, where it is connected with the first band ; the third of the 

 same double character, extends from the ear across the throat ; 

 immediately behind this a very broad band extends across the 

 nape, the hinder portion of it forming a distinct double black 

 band extending to the fore legs. Behind this the body is marked 

 by 12 equidistant, narrow, undulating, parallel, black, more or less 

 white edged, bands not extending on the ,belly. The tail is similarly 

 marked, but the bands are straight. 



One specimen. Length, 8 inches. 



This is a very beautiful species. The disposition of the head 

 shields differs considerably from that of most if not all the species 

 of this very numerous Australian genus, excepting perhaps Himdia 

 Gerrardi 



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