NOTES. 237 



Another parallel example is afforded by the Agamoid genus 

 Phrynocephahis (referred to above) which inhabits the desert 

 regions of Central Asia, as compared with the viviparous Iguanoid 

 genus Fhrynosuma* which inhabits the desert regions of Central 

 America. 



In many or most cases of viviparity among reptiles an egg-shell 

 is formed round the vifcellus, but the egg is not laid, the young 

 hatching out in situ in the oviducts. In Cophotis there is no trace 

 of an egg-shell. 



With regard to Cerato2)hora the eggs are laid in small holes in 

 the ground after the manner of Galotes. I came across such a hole 

 containing four freshly-laid, soft-shelled eggs in the Hakgala 

 jungle in January and disturbed the female who was apparently 

 attending to it. Ceratophora stoddartii is usually found clinging 

 to the trunks of trees or the stems of shrubs and saplings in a 

 vertical attitude with the rostral appendage directed upwards. 

 This appears to be its normal resting attitude and it remains 

 motionless for hours together. Its food consists in large part 

 of earthworms, to obtain which it descends to the ground. The 

 female descends to the ground also for the purpose of egg-laying, 

 the mating taking place on the stem of a young or small tree. 

 The existence of the rostral appendage is, I think, more or less 

 closely correlated with the vertical resting attitude of the lizard. 



In contrast with the Agamidse most of the Scincoid lizards are 

 viviparous, but an exception occurs in the species, Mahuia 

 macularia,'\ which is oviparous. Some eggs which I found in 

 the month of December at the base of a kumbuk tree at Karawala- 

 gaswewa, between Puttalam and Anuradhapura, no doubt 

 belonged to this species. I placed them in a match-box, and within 

 an hour or two young skinks hatched out which by an oversight I 

 omitted to identify. The species however occurs in Ceylon as well 

 as in India and Burma. It is closely allied to the well known 

 Brahminy Lizard which is viviparous (Boulenger op. cit., p. 190). 



There is an Australian skink, Trachysaurus,X which is strictly 

 viviparous in so far that like Copliotis no egg-shell is formed, 

 and the embryos " are ripened in uterus-like dilatations of the 

 oviducts." 



In conclusion, it may be noted that the geckos (Geckonidae) are 

 oviparous lizards; "the only species at present known to be 

 ovoviviparous are the New Zealand Naultinus elegans and Hoplo- 

 dactylus 2iCioificus ''' (Boulenger, op. cit., p. 55). 



Colombo, February, 1906. A. WILLEY. 



* See Gadow, op. cit., p. 533. f See Boulenger, op. cit., 180. 



X See Gadow, op. cit., p. 560. 



