HEEPETOLOGY OF JAPAN. 



261 



ately projecting; nostrils lateral, the nasal cleft proceeding from the 

 preocular; preocular as large as ocular, in contact with second and 

 third supralabials and with anterior (lower nasal) ; rostral very nar- 

 row, scarcely one-third the width of the head, in contact with pre- 

 frontal, not extending as far back as the eyes; anterior nasal extends 

 to the upper surface of the head; posterior (upper) nasals separated 

 by the prefrontal; prefrontal about same size as supraoculars, 

 slightly larger than frontal, all considerably larger than the body 

 scales; 4 supralabials; eyes distinct; 20 scales round the body; tail 

 ending in a spine and shorter than greatest diameter of body which is 

 contained 38 times in total length. Color (in alcohol) dark brown 



Figs. 232-235.— Typhlops braminus. Enlarged. 232, top of head; 2.33, side of head: 234, under- 

 side OF head; 235, tail. From Jan, Icon. Ophid., liv. 3, pl. v, fig. 16. 



above, each scale being brown with a pale base; snout and tail 

 whitish; lower surface paler, the base of the scales being dark, the 

 terminal two-thirds pale brown. 



Dimensions. 



mm. 



Total length 152 



Snout to vent 149 



Vent to tip of tail 3 



Greatest diameter of body 4 



Habitat. — A species of very wide distribution in the tropics of the 

 Old World, rivaling some of the geckos. It is found fi-om South 

 Africa and Madagascar through India and the Malayan archipelago 

 to South China, the Philippines, and Guam", extending as far north 

 as Okinawa. 



There are specimens from Formosa in the British Museum collected 

 by Swinhoe and Dickson, and in 1894 the museum in Christiania 

 received a number of specimens collected by Mr. Novara in the same 

 island, one of which is now in the United States National Museum. 



a Originally found there by Quoy and Guaymard (Dum^ril and Bibron, Erp^t. G^n., 

 VI, p. 312). Dr. J. C. Thompson, U. S. N., recently captured a specimen on that 

 island according to letter of September 17, 1906. 



