44 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 66 



curling and uncurling their tails over their backs. This action looks very 

 venomous, and is strongly suggestive of the vicious swishing of the scorpion's 

 deadly caudal weapon. This lizard is of a general sandy colour above, with 

 creamy underparts. Blotches of a darker shade occur over the body, and 

 extending along the tail grow darker, finally ending in a series of black rings. 

 The last half inch of the tail is black. The under surface of the tail is pale 

 vermilion, while a crimson-mauve patch occurs behind each fore limb. The head 

 is shaped like that of a toad, the eyes being black with white eyelids. It makes 

 holes in the sand in which it shelters at night, or when threatened with danger. 



PHRYNOCEPHALUS FRONTALIS Strauch 



1S76. PJirynocephalns frontalis Strauch, Opis. Presm. Zemnov. Eksped. 

 Przhevalskago, p. 15, pi. 3, fig. 1 (type-locality, Ordos, Mongolia; types 

 in Mus. St. Petersburg. Nos. 3920-21; Col. Przhevalski, collector).— 

 BouLENGER, Cat. Liz. Brit. Mus., vol. 1, 1885, p. 375 (Ordos, Mongolia). — 

 BoETTGEB, Offenbach. Ver. Naturk., 24-25 Ber., 1885, p. 141 (Ordos). — 

 ?Mehely in Zichy's Dritte Asiat. For.schungsreise, vol. 2, 1901, Zool., p. 47, 

 pi. 6, figs. 3, 5, 7, 8 (Mongolia). — Elpatjewski, Trudi Troitsko-Savsk. Otd. 

 Geogr. Obshtch., vol. 9, 1906 (p. 57) (Transbaikalia). — Bedriaga, Wiss. 

 Res. Przewalski Central-Asien Reis., Zool., vol. 3, sect. 1, Amph. Rept., 

 pt. 3, 1909, p. 404, pi. 9, figs. 7-7rt (Ordos).— Nikolski, Fauna Rossij, 

 Rept., vol. 1, 1915, p. 217 (Ordos). 



1897.? Phrynocepliaht,s caudivolvulus Steixdachnee, in Wiss. Szechnyi's 

 Kelet-Azsiai Utjanak Tudomau. Ered., vol. 2, (p. 651) (Kuan-Jaon- 

 szhien. China), Szechenyi's Wiss. Ergebn. Reise Ost-Asien, vol. 2. 1898, 

 p. 505. 



During May 1912 Mr. Sowerby collected another interesting series 

 (U. S. Nat. Mus. Nos. 49645-52) of Phmjnocephahis on the plain 

 about 30 miles .southeast of Kuei-hua-cheng, in northern Shansi. 

 They agree fairly well ^Yith the original description and ^vith Bed- 

 riaga's very detailed reexamination of the six cotypes from Ordos 

 (no locality specified), including his minute description of their in- 

 dividual peculiarities, to which I can add nothing. With regard to 

 Mehely's detailed enlarged drawings of the scutellation surrounding 

 the pineal shield and the nostrils (by the way the only serviceable 

 figures among the numerous illustrations of species of this genus) I 

 can only say that the former does not agree with any of Sowerby's 

 specimens, in all of which this shield is surrounded by a large 

 number of small scales rather smaller than the dorsals, as described 

 by Bedriaga. 



Family SCINCIDAE 



Genus EUMECES Wiegmann 



1834. Eumeces Wiegmann, Herpet. Mexic, p. 36 (type E. pavimentatus, 



design. 1835). 

 1839. Plestioclon Dumeeil and Bibron, Erpgt. G§n., vol. 5, p. 697 (type, 



designated by Fitzinger, 1843, Pleistodon quinquclineatus) . 

 1843. Pleistodon Fitzinger, Syst. Rept, p. 22 (emendation). 

 1843. Pariocela Fitzinger, Syst. Rept., p. 22 (designated type, 'Pleistodon 



laticeps). 



