Coe and Kunkel— California Limbless Lizard. 363 
head. The eye is rather elongated and may be closed by a lower 
lid which is covered by three scales, the middle one of which is the 
largest. 
Scales. 
The scales covering the head are larger than those of the body 
and have a very definite position upon the underlying bones.of the 
skull. The following are the most important peculiarities of the 
cephalic plates. The rostral plate (text-figs. 9-11, 7) is more or less 
pentagonal, and is in contact with the nasals by a long suture, and 
with the low anterior end of the first superior labial and the interna- 
CL rriaieers 
ween 
tif 
Ltn ans 
sees 
C2 I 
Cap. ee: 
S sess 
ose 
Figures 9-11. Dorsal, lateral, and ventral views of head, showing arrange- 
ment of scales; fn, frontonasal; fp, fused frontal and frontoparietals; 7f, 
first infralabial; in, first inferior labial; if, internasoloreal ; ip, interparietal ; 
n, nasal; pa, parietals; 7, rostral; s, symphysial; sc, second superciliary ; s., 
second superior labial; so, supraocular; s.p, superior preocular. x 4. 
soloreals, which have a short common suture. The nasals (text-fig. 
10,) are roughly rhomboidal with their apices directed posteriorly; 
they rest upon the first superior labials and are situated anterior to 
the second superior labials and internasoloreals. 
The nostril is small and elongated with its long axis oblique ; it is 
situated in the ventral and anterior portion of the nasal plate. 
The internasoloreals are large and rectangular and meet in the 
middle line by a short suture which is slightly oblique. They are 
bounded posteriorly by the superior preocular and frontonasal (77), 
which is a large median plate, subtriangular in form and somewhat 
wider than long. ‘he superior preocular (s.p) is pentagonal, with 
its apex reaching the eye posteriorly ; it is in contaet ventrally with 
