204 SAURIA. 



introduced. M. de Quatrcfages, in his ' Souvenirs d'un 

 Natui'aliste,' narrates that he found specimens of a Scincus 

 in Sicily, near Segeste. It is common in Egypt, Abyssinia, 

 and Northern Africa generally, and has been brought from 

 Senegal. It is not uncommon in Syria. 



Genus GONGYLUS. 



Nostiils placed partly in the nasal plate, partly in the 

 rostral ; palate without teeth ; tongue notched, scaly ; teeth 

 conical, simple ; four feet, each with five toes, all provided 

 with nails of unequal length, and without teeth on their 

 margins ; flanks rounded ; tail conical, or somewhat flat- 

 tened laterally, pointed. 



Gongylus ocellatus. 



Gongylus ocellatus, Dum. et Bib. vol. v. p. 616 ; Buon. Faun. Ital. 



(figured). 

 Scincus ocellatus, Schinz, Europ. Faun. vol. ii. p. 31. 



Description. — The general appearance of this species is 

 massive and compressed ; the fore-paws, when placed 

 along the neck, do not reach beyond the angle of the 

 mouth ; there is a slight longitudinal depression behind 

 the fore-legs, which receives those members when the 

 animal is in repose ; the length of the hind-legs equals 

 that of the space between the shoulder and the eye ; the 

 tail is not as long as the body; the nose is blunt and 

 rounded, reaching a little beyond the lower jaw; the 

 nostrils are round, directed slightly backwards ; the eyes 

 are small, the upper eyelid very short, the lower much de- 

 veloped ; the ear-openings are triangular, theu' edges 

 smooth, and are placed near the angle of the mouth, which 

 extends to behind the ears ; the teeth are smaU, uniform, 

 close to each other, from twenty-two to twenty-six in 

 number above and below ; the temple is covered by three 



