10. RISTETXA, 357 



corresponding to the posterior notch of the tongue. Teeth conical. 

 Eyelids well developed, scaly. Ear-opening distinct. Nostril pierced 

 in a single nasal ; no supranasals : prefrontals small or coalesced ; 

 frontoparietals and interparietal distinct. Limbs well developed, 

 anterior with four, posterior with five digits ; claws completely 

 retractile in a large compressed sheath formed of one large scale cleft 

 interiorly. 

 India. 



Si/nopsis of the Species. 



I. A pair of small praefrontals ; frontonasal forming a suture with 



the frontal. 



Ear-opening much larger than the nostril ; 



dorsal scales feebly bi- or tricarinate. 1. rurTcii, p. 357. 

 Ear-opening not, or but slightly, larger 



than the nostril ; dorsal scales sharply 



bicarinate 2. travancorica, p. 358. 



II. Two azygos shields between the rostral and the frontal. 



22 or 24 scales round the middle of the 



body : adpressed limbs not meeting . . 3. guentheri, p. 358. 

 26 scales round the body ; adjjressed limbs 



meeting or overlapping 4. heddomii, p. 359. 



1. Eistella nirkii. (Plate XXIX. fig. 1.) 



Eistella rurkii, Gray, Cat. p. 86. 

 Ristella rurkii, Gray, Ann. N. H. ii. p. 333 ; Giinth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 



1875, p. 225. 

 Ateuchosaurus travancoricus, part., Beddome, Madras Journ. Med. 



Sc. 1870. 

 Eistella travancorica, part., Bedd. op. cit. 1871. 

 travancorica, StoHczka, Journ. As, Soc. Beng. xli. 1872, p. 129, 



pi. iv. fig. 5 ; Theoh. Cat. Bejit. Brit. Ind. p. 54. 



Head small : snout short, obtuse. Ear-opening much larger than 

 the nostril. Frontonasal broader than long, widely separating the 

 nasals ; praefrontals present, widely separated ; frontal shorter than 

 frontoparietals and interparietal together ; five supraoculars, three 

 anterior in contact with the frontal ; ten supraciliaries ; parietals 

 forming a suture behind the interparietal ; no nuchals ; third, fourth, 

 and fifth upper labials below the eye, from which they are separated 

 by a series of small scales. 26 scales round the middle of the body ; 

 laterals a little smaller than dorsals and ventrals, dorsals and laterals 

 feebly bi- or tricarinate. Praeanal scales not or scarcely enlarged. 

 Limbs short, widely separated when adpressed ; third and fourth 

 toes equal. Tail cylindrical, once and a half to once and two thirds 

 the length of head and body. Back reddish brown ; each dorsal 

 scale with a small blackish spot or shaft, sometimes confluent and 

 forming six longitudinal lines ; sides blackish brown, dotted with 

 whitish : lower surfaces whitish, throat and tail usually brown - 

 spotted. 



