178 THE HERPETOLOGY OF CUBA. 
below. Eight femoral pores on each side. Tail fleshy cylindrical, tapering 
to a fine point, longer than head and body; caudal scales squarish or oblong, 
verticellate, considerably larger below. 
Colour (in life): — Upper surface of body reddish brown, a light line along 
the upper region of each side; sides of body more dusky brown. Tail bright 
brick-red above, almost vermilion below. Belly yellowish. 
Dimensions: — Total length 92 mm. 
Tip of snout to vent 32 mm. 
Tail 60 mm. 
Gundlach collected the types of this species under stones at Cabo Cruz 
in 1857. From that time until in 1913, when the senior author visited the same 
spot, no specimens found their way into any collections. Since 1913, Mr. 
Oskar Tollin has visited the same general region and discovered the species at 
Belig, not far from the Cape. Gundlach in his MS. note-book now in Prof. 
de la Torre’s possession describes very exactly where he collected, but made no 
special comment except that they were found under stones. The senior author 
who was at the Cape during a rather cool dry spring found the species rare; Tollin, 
on the other hand, was at Belig during the rains in August and found a consid- 
erable number of individuals under decaying leaves on the forest floor. Tollin’s 
specimens are in the collections of Prof. de la Torre of Havana, the Carnegie 
Museum at Pittsburgh, and the junior author; the remaining great majority 
of the specimens are in the collection of the M. C. Z., whence examples have 
been sent to the U. 8S. N. M. and to the British Museum. There is no record of 
the number Gundlach obtained, there is but one in the Museo Gundlach of the 
Institute of Secondary Education at Havana, and others are doubtless in the 
Berlin Museum, since they were sent to Peters. 
Thus we know nothing of the life history of this curious archaic lizard. 
Its allies Xantusia and Lepidophyma are nocturnal and although probably 
far from rare are nevertheless represented in but a few museums. This species 
and Solenodon cubanus are zodlogically the most curious and interesting inhabi- 
tants of Cuba and any notes or data regarding their life histories would be very 
valuable. 
