370 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM VOL. 92 
Boulenger.* Hallowell’s species was based on a single specimen said 
to be from “Mexico,” collected by Keating. It is obviously not the 
same (by description) as the two species of Celestus now known from 
Mexico, however, and moreover Hallowell cites Scincus ventralis 
[=Gerrhonotus liocephalus| as a synonym. The question of its 
identity was submitted to Dr. E. R. Dunn, who very kindly supplied 
considerable additional data on the type. He states that it is not an 
Anguid, as Diploglossus, but belongs to the Scincidae. The type is 
not in good condition (portions of the head mutilated), but appears 
to belong to a non-American genus, probably Dasia. It may possibly 
be one of the original series of three specimens of Peale and Green’s 
Scincus ventralis, since only two of them are now present in the series 
labeled as the cotypes, and thus would be explained Hallowell’s cita- 
tion of Scincus ventralis as a synonym of his species. It is also 
possible that a confusion of specimens occurred, the original 
Gerrhonotus being exchanged for the present type of microcephalus, 
which Hallowell erroneously thought was one of Peale and Green’s 
cotypes. One of these alternatives must be true: Either a peculiar 
skink, unknown except by the type of microcephalus, occurs in Mexico, 
or else some shift of specimens occurred in the Philadelphia Academy 
collections between 1830 and 1856. Dr. Dunn, as well as I, favors 
the latter alternative. Regardless of the provenance of the type, 
however, it is apparent that it is not a Diploglossus or a Celestus. 
CELESTUS ENNEAGRAMMUS (Cope) 
Siderolamprus enneagrammus Copg, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1860, 
p. 368 (Jalapa, Veracruz). 
Diploglossus steindachneri Corr, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1864, p. 
179 (Orizaba, Veracruz). 
Diploglossus chalybacus Corr, Proe. Acad. Nat. Sei. Philadelphia, 1866, p. 321 
(Mount Orizaba, 4,000-6,000 feet, Veracruz). 
The 6 specimens available include the type of steindachneri 
(U.S.N.M. No. 6342); the type of chalybaeus (U.S.N.M. No. 6603) ; 
two small specimens from Tequeyutepec, 7 miles above Jalapa, Vera- 
eruz (U.S.N.M. Nos. 113524-113525), which duplicate in detail the 
color description of enneagrammus, and which are practically topo- 
types; a juvenile from Totontepec, Oaxaca (U.S.N.M. No. 46651) ; 
and an adult from “Tehuantepec,” Oaxaca (U.S.N.M. No. 30189). 
Diagnosis—The young specimens have a broad, dark brown lateral 
stripe on each side, extending from the snout to the sides of the base 
of the tail. Bordering these stripes medially is a fine light line, 
continuous around snout and passing through the outer supraoculars. 
4 Cat. Liz. British Mus., vol. 3, p. 504, 1887. 
