374 Zoological Society: — 



nostrils in shields, under the keel of the rostral shield ; teeth conical, 

 on the inner side of the maxilla. Body cylindrical, covered with 

 rings of oblong four-sided shields ; the sternum with a disk formed 

 of differently shaped shields ; preanal pores distinct. 



Tribe 1. Lepidosternina. Head conical, covered with symme- 

 trical polygonal shields ; the pectoral disk covered with many 

 polygonal shields placed in obhque lines ; the dorsal and lateral 

 lines well marked, broad, smooth, formed by the overlapping 

 of the narrow ends of the sections of the rings. America. 



Lepi dosternon. 



Head conical, covered with three pairs of symmetrical and a ver- 

 tebral shield ; rostral shield large, broad, rounded in front ; the 

 pectoral shield formed of regular, nearly equal, symmetrical rhombic 

 or six-sided shields, sometimes united into long shields which are 

 not symmetrical. 



* Sternal plates of central series united into elongated bands. 

 Lepidosternon. 



1. Lepidosternon microcephalism, Wagler, Serp. Bras. 70, 

 t. 26 ; Miiller, Tiedem. Zeitsch. 1832, iv. t. 22. f. 4 ; Dum. et Bibr. 

 Erp. Gen. v. 505 ; Gray, Cat. Tortoises, &c, B. M. 73. 



" L. macrocephahtm, Midler" (fide A. Smith). 



Amphisbcena punctata, Neuwied, Abh. 



Lepidosternon maxiinilianus, Wiegmann. 



Head short, broad ; the vertebral plate broader than long, six- 

 sided ; frontal short, broad, band-like ; parietal small, square ; ocular 

 higher than broad. 



Hab. Brazil, Rio (Dr. Gardner, B. M.). 



The specimen in the British Museum has the shields on each side 

 of the central line of the sternal disk united into an elongate shield, 

 which is not symmetrical on the two sides, and appears like an acci- 

 dental peculiarity. 



In the Free Museum at Liverpool there are two specimens of this 

 species, obtained by Mr. Jobert in Brazil. They are similar, but 

 show that the sternal plates are liable to coalesce and form larger 

 plates in an unsymmetrical manner. 



In the larger specimens the first series of sternal plates on each 

 side of the central line are united into longitudinal shields, which 

 are not of equal length. The series of plates on the outer side of 

 them are separate, but not quite symmetrical. 



In the other specimen, which is rather smaller, the first series of 

 sternal jdates on the sides of the central line, and the second series 

 on the outside of it on the right side, and second and third series 

 on the left side, are united into longitudinal parallel plates, which are 

 of unequal length, the two central ones being the longest, and the 

 two outer plates on the left side much longer than the outer one on 

 the right side. 



