

SCINC1D.E. 



SCINCID.*:. 



Too 



ovary 3-parted, glandular, and melliferous at the apex ; style smooth, 

 aimple; atignu obscurely 3-lobed, papillose; capsule rounded, 3- 

 coniered, 3-cellcd; seed* numerous, in two row*, flattened with n 

 membranous testa. 



& marilima. Squill, a found near the coast of the Mediterranean, 

 in Portugal, and the Levant. It has a roundish ovate very large 

 bulb, between globose and ovate, half above the ground, with the 

 integument* either pale-green or red ; leaves appearing long after the 

 flowers, broad, lanceolate, channelled, spreading, recurved; scape 

 about two feet high, terminated by a rather dense, long, ovate raceme ; 

 flowers about three-quarter* of an inch across, spreading, pale yellowish- 

 green, with a green stain along the middle of each segment ; filaments 

 shorter than tlie segments of the perianth. The bulbs contain Sciililin, 

 a very active medicinal agent They are very acrid, and capable of 

 vesicating. Squills are used aa an emetic and expectorant 



S. Pancrateo* is found near Cadiz, at Malta, and probably other 

 parts of the Mediterranean. The bulb is about half the size of the but 

 species, pale-green or whitish-green, occasionally red. The leaves 

 much shorter, more acute, erect, and narrower ; stem more glaucous. 

 Flowers smaller, more compactly arranged, with shorter bracta ; 

 flower-stalks shorter; flower-bud more blunt In its effects this 

 species is like the former, but milder. 



S. Indiea is found on the sandy shores of various parts of India. 

 It has a round white perennial bulb, tunieated, about the size of a 

 large apple ; leaves numerous, radical, sub-bif iriotis, ensiform, nearly 

 flat, smooth on both sides, from 6 to 18 inches long. When in blossom 

 the plant is perfectly destitute of leaves ; scape erect, round, smooth, 

 naked, including the raceme from 2 to 3 feet long ; raceme very long, 

 erect; flowers remote, long, pedicelled, drooping. This species is 

 supposed by Dr. Roxburgh to possess the same qualities as S. maritima. 



(Lindley, Flora Medica.) 



SCINCID^E, SCINCOIDIANS, or LEPIDOSAURS, the names 

 given by Gray, Oppel, Fitzinger, and Messrs. Duindril and Bibron to 

 a family Of Saurians. 



Thia family, observe Messrs. DumcVil and Bibron, seems to establish 

 a sort of connection with or transition to the great division of Serpents, 

 by the intervention of certain upecics, such as those of Anguit and 

 Acontiat. It in, they remark, a group of Lizard*, whose numerous 

 races are found spread over the most arid regions of temperate 

 climate*, as well as those where the temperature is always very high. 



They join to the general character of the Saurians many pecu- 

 liarities which distinguish them from the other families of that order. 

 Thus, their cranium is covered with great plates, joined together at 

 their edges, most frequently angular, whose sutures or Hues of junction 

 always remain distinct Their trunk is completely covered with 

 scale*, more or less large and solid, of variable form, but always 

 disposed like a coat of mail, placed quincuncially, and overlapping 

 each other like tile* or slates, nearly like those of the greater part of 

 the OMCOUS fishes. The .^mcidtc have besides the tongue free, fleshy, 

 not of much thickness, slightly notched at the point, and covered 

 totally or partially with scaly papilke. Their belly is cylindrical, 

 without lateral folds, and covered with scales, having the same 

 disposition, and, in general, the same form as those of the back. 



All these characters suffice to distinguish the Scincidtt from the 

 whole of the other families. The great angular plates which are 

 applied on the bones of the head and face are never seen in the 

 Ckauutemida, the Geclolitlir, the Crocodilidte, the Varanidir, nor in 

 the Jyuanid<r. They are, it is true, found in the Laccrtiifa and in 

 the Ckalcidida, but the first have always the scales of the belly 

 different from those of the upper part of the trunk, and in the 

 others, beside* the disposition of the horny lamella) so as to form 

 verticillations or transverse rings, there is most frequently a fold on 

 their aide* throughout their length, from the cranium to the origin 

 of the tail 



The form and the mode of insertion of the tongue, which in one 

 part is free, or not attached by its circumference to the concavity of 

 the lower jaw, serve to distinguish the Scincidtt from the Crocodiles ; 

 on the other band, as the tongue of the Scincida cannot be with- 

 drawn into a sort of sheath, this conformation removes them from 

 the Chameleons, which have the tongue very long, cylindrical, and 

 terminated by a concave and viscous tubercle. The same conforma- 

 tion serve* to separate the f<cineid<c from the VaraniJa, which have 

 this organ endowed with capability of re-entering into a sheath, at 

 the aame time that it* free extremity is deeply divided into two 

 point*. Finally, the tongue of the Scincidtt is not free, or disengaged 

 from adhesion at it* point only, at in the Oeckotida and the Iguanid<r. 

 The lateral walls of the trunk are not hollowed with a longitudinal 

 furrow, a* in the Chalcidida, and the skin of the belly below is not 

 furnished with plate* with four principal face*, or with quadrilateral 

 -' more or les* elongated, and larger than those of the back, as 

 be observed in the True Lizard*. 



, UumiSril and Bibron thus sum up the essential characters 

 of the Reptile* which compose this family : 



1. Head covered above by horny plates, which are delicate, angular, 

 and opposed to each other (affrontces) by their face* (pan*) in a 

 singular manner. 



2. Neck of the same form and sixe a* the breast 



3. Trunk and limbs entirely clothed with imbricated Male*, with 



may be ob 



MM*] 



many face* (pans), most frequently widened, and with the bonier 

 flightly rounded, disposed quincuucuilly, back rounded, without crest* 

 or elevated spines, belly cylindrical, without any groove or lateral 

 furrow. 



4. Tongue free, flat, without a sheath, slightly notched in front, 

 the surface covered entirely or partially with papilUe, ordinarily all 

 in the form of scales, but occasionally some are iquaniiform and 

 others filiform. 



Cocteau presented in 1837 to the French Academy his great table 

 of the classification of this extensive group. These ' Tabula) Synop- 

 tictc Scincoideorum ' formed the prodromua only of an ei tensive work 

 undertaken for the classification of the species which belong to three 

 of the tribes of the family which Cocteau named Cyprilepids, or those 

 covered with scales after the manner of a carp. 



Messrs. Dum<5ril and Bibron give the following synoptical analysis 

 of this great work : 



Tetradactylut, Sept, Siaphot, Ifetcromclct, Ckelomelet. 



ISauropbthalmpfl. 

 Ophlophlhalmra. 

 Typhlophllilroc 

 CrraiuriDS . { ( P.ipodes. 



(uyVteropode.. 



. &*, 



' ^' ' ( '"? ( '"-/ 

 \ dactyls tjrls . Champtodaclj/lui. 



OriuoriiTiiAi.iit* 



/ Trlcodactvls . . . AUrfharu. 

 Saurotlte. .5 Ateleo- f He - 



) dacivi* i tyli 



.< ' [ Omodactrls 



( OinodactyU 1 



Ophiotltci . . , I llcterodac- > Lcritta. 



I ( t*U . ) 



Tvril I.OI'HTII ALMKfl. 



Messrs. Dumeril and Bibron, like Cocteau, divide their Soincoidiana 

 or Lepidosauri into three great divisions: 1, Sauroptbalins ; 2, 

 Ophiophthalms ; and 3, Typhlophthalms ; with the following genera, 

 which are subdivided according to the conformation of the feet, toe* 

 tail, rostral plate, muzzle, teeth, nostrils, and tongue : 



1. Saurophthaluis. Tropidophona, Trachyiauriu, Cyclodia, Scinctu, 

 Xphtnopt, (ronyylui, DiplwjloMut, Amphiglotnu, lldcroptu, Chumpto- 

 dacty/ut, Tetradactylns, Hcmiergu, Sept, Aetna, Uctcromtlct, Ckclomcla, 

 Brachymelet, JBrachyituput, Evaia, .Sce/o<, I'nrpcdttut, Ophioda, 

 Any nil, Ophiomorui, Acon/iai. 



2. Ophiophthalms. Ablcpharut, Gymnoplithalmiu, Ltritta, Jfi/ttiru- 

 put, Lialu. 



8. Typhlophthalms. fiibamut, TyplUine, 



The following is Dr. J. E. Gray's arrangement of the genera of his 

 family .Sanet'dz : 



I. Scales thin, smooth, not striated nor keeled. Nostrils in a single 

 smooth plate, without any lunate groove behind. Tail round, 

 tapering, unarmed. 



A. Toe* depressed, fringed on the sides. Head wedge-shaped. 



Hostral depressed, keeled in front Nostril in the middle of 

 the upper edge of the nasal, with a triangular aupranagal above 

 the rostral. Scincina, 



1. Nt-mcw. Body fusiform, flat below. Toes 5-5. 



B. Toes compressed, simple. Head subquadrangular. Rostral 



erect, triangular. Nostril in the middle of a shield. 

 i. Supranasal plate none. 



* Body fusiform. Lower eyelid covered with scales ; froiito- 

 parietals, two. 



2. llinulia. Head subquadraugular. Heel surrounded with 

 granules. 



3. Kentuxia Head depressed in front Rostral and labials low. 

 Heel with a flat oval plate behind. 



4. t'laaia. Head conical. Rostral rather produced. Heel sur- 

 rounded with granules. 



** Body fusiform. Lower eyelid with a transparent disc. 



5. Hocoa. Roatral erect, triangular. Palate toothless. 



6. LeilopUma. Rostral erect, triangular. Palate toothed. Parieta 

 plates 2, large, square. 



". Lipinia. Rostral depressed, large. Head flattened. Nasa 

 lateral, square. 



" Body and tail cylindrical, elongate. Limbs 4, "weak, far apart 

 Rostral erect, rounded. Fronto-nasal* distinct 

 t Toe* elongate, unequal. 



8. Lyyoioma. Toes 5-5. Lower eyelid scaly. 



8. Jtutellatf). Toe* 4-5. Lower eyelid - (f) Supranasal -- (?). 



10. Tttradactylut.Tovs 4-4, the third longest, the fourth short. 

 Lower eyelid transparent. 



11. Jfcmitrgut. Toes 3-3, unequal, middle one rather longest. 

 Lower eyelid transparent 



