672 REPORT OP NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1898. 



A-NNIELLA Gray. 



Anniella Gray, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (2), X, 1852, p. 440. — Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. 

 Sci. Phila., 1864, p. 230.— Bocourt, Miss. Sci. Mex., Rept., 1881, p. 460.— 

 BouLENGER, Cat. Liz. Brit. Mus., 2d ed., II, 1885, p. 299. 



Body cylindrical, elongated, without limbs. No trace of lateral groove 

 nor of external ear. Head very short; depressed; cleft of mouth 

 ratlier short. A broad frontonasal plate in extensive contact with a 

 fused frontal and frontoparietals. A small interparietal in a notch of 

 the latter. Nasal in the center of a single plate which comes to the 

 edge of jaw. Eye distinct, but closed by the oppressed inferior eyelid. 



The more detailed osteological characters are as follows. They are 

 derived from specimens from San Diego, California, collected and pre- 

 sented to me by my friend, Mr. James S. Lipi>incott. 



The premaxillary has an elongate spine, and the palatal suture pre- 

 sents backward two concavities separated by a median projection. 

 The nasals are distinct and rather short and wide. The frontals are 

 distinct and rather wide. The parietal is very large every way, is 

 single, and has no pineal foramen. The supraoccipital forms a close 

 suture with it, sending forward a median process for internal gompho- 

 sis, and an angle on each side of it. It is coossified with the exoccipital 

 and is expanded to accommodate the large circle of the superior semi- 

 circular canal. The facial plate of the maxillary is large. The pre- 

 frontal is above the eye and is cut off from the parietal by an entrant 

 angle of the frontal only. The lachrymal is small and is below and 

 separated from the prefrontal. Jugals narrow, lying on the superior 

 aspect of the maxillary, terminating freely. Postfrontal crescentic, 

 bounded by both frontal and parietal. Postorbital a caducous scale 

 lying in contact with the posterior limb of the i)ostfrontal. A supra- 

 orbital bone external to the prefrontal. Petrosal with its superior 

 border in close contact with the decurved lateral borders of the parie- 

 tal, as in a snake. The latter do not, however, descend to the pre- 

 sphenoid, but leave a wide fissure below it which deeply notches the 

 anterior border of the petrosal. Supraforaminal part of pretrosal pro- 

 duced to an acute angle, terminating at the parietal border much in 

 advance of the anterior semicircular canal. Body of petrosal perfo- 

 rated by a large foramen just in front of the superior part of the quad- 

 rate. No parietoquadrate arch, but a posteroexternal angle of the 

 parietal extending near to the proximal extremity of the quadrate. 

 No distinct supratemporal or paroccipital.* Stapes with large disk 

 and short, stout columella, with thickened tympanic extremity. Max- 

 illopalatines continuous anteriorly, slightly divergent posteriorly; exca- 

 vated by a deep groove posteriorly, which terminates in a fossa 

 medially. The external borders of the posterior apices are turned out- 



' Baur states that the jiaroccipital is present, but I have not been able to find it 

 (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1894, p. 349). 



