206 SAURIA. 



Seps chalcides. 



Seps chalcides, Dum. et Bib. vol. v. p. 768 ; Buon. Faun. Ital. (figured) ; 

 SciiiNZ, Europ. Faun. vol. ii. p. 33. 



Description-. — The shape of the animal, excluding the short 

 legs, closely resembles that of the Anguis fragilis. The 

 fore -legs are scarcely so long as the muzzle ; the hind-legs 

 are about as long as the portion of the head behind the 

 ears ; on the fore-feet, the middle toe is the longest, then 

 the inner, the shortest being the outer toe ; on the hind- 

 feet the fii^st toe is the shortest, the other two being equal ; 

 the scales of the body are for the most part hexagonal, a 

 little widened and rounded at their free edges, forming 

 twenty-four longitudinal rows on the body, and fourteen 

 on the tail. The upper parts of the body are coppery, or 

 bronzed grey ; along each side of the back are two streaks, 

 sometimes white with black spots, sometimes black ; some 

 specimens exhibit sixteen or eighteen streaks on the back, 

 alternately black and dull white ; others appear all over 

 the upper surface of a uniform olive-brown, the streaks 

 being very indistinctly marked ; the lower parts are always 

 grey or dull white. 



Entire length, about 16 inches. 



Brings forth its young alive, and feeds on insects. 



Inhabits the South of France, where it is not rare. 

 Buonaparte records it as very common all over Italy. Is 

 found in Spain, in all the Islands of the Mediterranean 

 Sea, and on the coast of Barbary. 



Genus ANGUIS. 



Nostrils lateral, each opening in a single plate, the nasal ; 

 tongue arrow-shaped, divided at its tip into two j)oints, its 

 surface in part granular, the rest velvety ; no palatal teeth ; 

 palate with a wide longitudinal groove ; teeth long, sharp, 



