REPTILES OF THE PACIFIC COAST. 39 



h 1 . Ventral plates more than twice as broad as dorsal scales. 

 j. No rattle at end of tail; no pit between nostril and eye. 



k. A small spur at each side of the anus; tail short and truncate, 

 or top of head with small scales; pupil vertical. 



Boidse. p. 152. 



k' 2 . No spur at side of anus; tail tapering; top of head with large 

 plates; pupil round or elliptical. 



No enlarged fangs at front of mouth; coloration, if in rings, 

 not red separated from black by white (yellow). 



Colubridae. p. 157. 



j 2 . A horuy rattle at end of tail; a pit between nostril and eye; a pair 

 of large erectile fangs Crotalidae. p. 214. 



Suborder I. SAURI Lizards. 



Family II. EUBLEPHARID^. 



The members of this family are most closely related 

 to the Geckon-idce or true geckos from which they are dis- 

 tinguished by the procoelian vertebrae and united parie- 

 tal bones. The clavicle is dilated and loop-shaped 

 proximally. The limbs are slender and the claws wholly 

 or partially retractile into a sheath composed of two 

 lateral plates whose superior edges are covered by a third. 

 The eyes are rather large, with movable lids, and verti- 

 cally elongate pupil. 



Genus 4. COLEONYX. 



Coleonyx, GRAY, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., XVI, 1845, p. 162 (type 

 elegans); " Brachydactylus, PETERS, Mou. Berl. Ac., 1863, p. 

 41 " (type mitratus). 



In this genus the lower surface of each digit is pro- 

 vided with a series of small transverse plates. There 

 are no enlarged chin shields behind the symphyseal 

 plate. The skin is very soft, finely granular, and not 

 attached to the bones of the skull. A small ear-opening 

 is present. Males have a few preanal pores. 



