430 DIBAMID^. 



Very closely allied to, if distinct from, the preceding. The only 

 impoitaiit difforoiice appears to be that the rostral is shorter in the 

 middle than the frontal and interparietal together. 



Nicobars. 



The following genus, if correctly characterized, is probably the 

 type of a distinct family. The presence of scale-like papilla? on the 

 tongue prevents our regarding it as a connecting link between 

 Lizards and Snakes, as suggested by Bocage. 



OPHIOPSISEPS. 



Ophioseps (non Blyth), Bocage, Jorn. Sc. Lish. iv. 1873, p. 281. 



" Eyes without lids, surrounded by a complete ring of narrow 

 plates ; tongue flat, scaly, slightly nicked at the extremity ; teeth 

 extremely small, in the lower jaw only. No ear-openings. Body 

 very long, cylindrical ; tail measuring nearly one fourth of the total 

 length, tai)ering slightly at the end, which is obtuse and covered by 

 a semicircular scale. No limbs ; no pra3anal pores. Scales com- 

 paratively large, with rounded free edge. Head short, flattened 

 above, with rather prominent and strongly swollen snout. Scaling 

 of the head approaching the Ophidian type, and presenting the 

 following remarkable peculiarities: — nasal shields enormous, meet- 

 ing on the upper surface of the snout behind the rostral, and 

 descending on each side to the edge of the jaw ; behind the nasals 

 two contiguous frontonasals, descending on the sides of the snout 

 to join the first labial; a much developed frontal; a single prje- 

 ocular and a postocular, Nuchal region, immediately behind the 

 frontal and the supraoculars, covered with imbricate scales similar 

 to those on the neck. No suj)ranasals ; no loreals. Four upper and 

 three lower labials." 



Ophiopsiseps nasntus. 



Ophioseps nasutus, Bocage, I. c. p. "IZ'l. 



Fourteen scales round the middle of the body. Three large trian- 

 gular pra^anal scales. General colour fulvous, more cinereous on the 

 sides ; upper surfaces and sides with parallel series of small black 

 shafts occuxjying the centre of each scale. 



Total length 185 millim., tail 52. 



Australia. 



