STI'IMI'S l\ AI'SI'KAI.I \\ I.KI'I II.K- KlVnilOliX. 



118 



T/c' Ei/e. — The ori<ifiiuil description of D. siif(( states " eye longer tliau 

 its distance from tlie numtli " while tliat of ]). fronfallx describes the eye 

 as small. I find tliat in Of>ilby's holotype of 1). frcuhdis, and in all otiier 

 specimens referable to tliat form, the diametei- of tlie eye is twice its 

 distance from the mouth, and similar to that of /'. .s/(/r/. 



The hiti'niu.-nd.^ axil rrcfri>iilal:<. — On coni[>aiin,f,'- the desci'iption of 

 l>. fr()iit((h'.< var. i>r()plii<iitii, L)e Vis, with tliose of I >. froiihilis and ]>. siil((, 

 I failed to find any reason why it should be separated fi-om those species. 

 De Vis states " internasals (semifused with the prefrontals) apparently as 

 large as the prefrontals." Mr. Longman has kindly examined De Vis' 

 holotype in the Queensland Museum for me, however, and lie writes " tiie 

 pi-efroutals and internasals in De Vis' propivqiiK are certainly abnormal, 

 and should imiitnliii be mei'ged into ,^•//^^ var. prapiiHinti should follow." 



I have found thi-oughout tlie series examined that the internasals and 

 prefrontals vary slightly in theii' relative sizes and are not sufficiently 

 constant to affoid a distinguishing character. 



Thr Te)iij)or(t]>i. — The temporal shields are, with one exception, 2 -J- 2, 

 and the anterior pair are longer than the postei'ioi", behind which are 

 several enlarged scales. Of the anterior temporals the upper is generally 

 the larger, but in some specimens both shields are about the same size ; 

 the lower anterior is always wedged in between the fifth and sixth upper 

 labials. 



The specimen which has more than 2 -|- 2 temporals is figured as 

 Fig. 3 and it will be seen that this superimposed shield takes the place 

 usually occupied by the upper part of the fifth upper labial. 



This character is shown on each side of the head, but it is an 

 unusual one. 



Fift. -i. 



Vnnita] Sliirlil. — In Ills key to the species of the genus Denisonin-'- 

 r?onleno-or indirntos tliiit /'. I'mmhi luis the frontal ncarlv twice ns lontj- as 



" Roulenucr— I'.tit. Mus. Cat. Snak»-s, iii., 1H90, p. XVA. 



