1914-] Miscellanea. 369 



F'am. Anguidae. 

 6. Ophiosaurus gracilis (Gray). 



Pseudopus gracilis, Theobald, Cat., p. 47 ; {Ophiosaurus) 

 Boulenger. Fauna, p. 71, fig. 47; Annandale, Rec. Ind. Mus., 

 pp. 42 and 857. 



The distribution of the Genus Ophiosaurus, Daud., according 

 to Dr. Boulenger, is '' South-Eastern Europe, North Africa, South 

 Western Asia, Himalayas and Burma, Central America"; while 

 the hab.tat of the species is " Eastern Himalayas, Khasi hills, 

 Eastern Bengal, Rangoon, Western Yunnan". The species has 

 been recorded by Dr. Annandale also in the " Zoological results 

 of the Abor expedition" and parts i and iv {op. cit.). Accord- 

 ing to him the range is as follows: ''A common species in the Eas- 

 tern Himalayas at altitudes of between 4000 and 5000 ft. ; it also 

 occurs in the Khasi hills in Upper Burma and Yunnan, and 

 probably in the hills of Pegu. " Some of his specimens were taken 

 at an altitude of 2000-2150 ft., and others at an altitude of 4000 

 ft. The single specimen about which the following notes are 

 appended was taken on the 22nd of August on the Mashobra- 

 Tibet Road about three miles from Simla. Now Simla is situ- 

 ated in the South-Western slopes of the Himalayas at an alti- 

 tude of 7156 ft. This slow-worm then is not confined to the 

 Eastern Himalayas as has been supposed up till now, but occurs 

 in the Western Himalayas as well. 



Measurements of the specimen. 



Length 22*5 cm. Tail 81 cm. 



The colour is yellowish brown above while ventrally it is 

 uniform yellow, so also is the posterior one-third of the tail 

 dorsally. The lateral blue-black stripes mentioned by Dr. 

 Annandale are absent ; dorsally a large number of black spots, 

 during life rather bluish, which in some parts are like half hoops, 

 are very distinctly seen 



Fam. SciNCiDAE. 



7. Lygosoma himalayanum (Giinther). 



Mocoa himalayana and M. hlythii, Theobald, Cat , pp. 57 

 and 59 ; {Lygosoma) Boulenger, Fauna, p. 200 ; Annandale, Rec. 

 Ind. Mus., vol. i, pp. 154, 155. 



According to Dr. Annandale this skink is very abundant in 

 the gardens in the town of Simla in the neighbourhood of which it 

 is common at least as high as 9000 ft. Skiiiks were seen by me 

 twice at Simla which probably might have belonged to this species 

 but could not be secured. 



Baini Parshad, B.Sc, 

 Govermnent College,! Alfred Patiala Research Student, 



Lahore. J Zoological Laboratory. 



[End of Volume X.] 



