Ophiofs. 205 



This species has much in common, in form, scaling, and coloration, 

 with Cabrita jerdonii, and, were it not for the generic distinction based 

 upon the structure of the eyelids, would be regarded as closely allied. 

 It cannot, however, be derived from it, as the presence of an 

 occipital is a feature of greater generalization. We have therefore 

 to imagine, as the direct ancestor of 0. jerdonii, a species of Cahrita, 

 now probably extinct, very similar in all respects to C. jerdonii, but 

 with an occipital shield. 



2. OPHIOPS BEDDOMII. 



Psetulo-pMo^ts beddomii, Jerdon, Proc. As. Soc. Beng. 1870, p. 72. 



Opliiops nionticola, Beddome, Madras Journ. Med. Sc. 1870, p. 35. 



Opliiops beddomii, Stoliczka, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xli, 1872, p. 90 ; 

 Bouleng. Cat. Liz. iii, p. 74, pi. iii, fig. 3 (1887), and Faun. Ind., Eept. 

 p. 174,%. (1890). 



Body moderately depressed. Head moderately depressed, H to 

 1| times as long as broad, its depth ecjual to the distance between the 

 centre of the eye and the tympanum, its length 3f to 4 times in length 

 to vent ; snout obtusely pointed, with shai*p canthus and feebly concave 

 loreal region, as long as the postocular part of the head ; a sharp keel 

 below the eye. Pileus twice as long as broad. Neck as broad as or a 

 little narrower than the head. The hind limli reaches the shoulder or 

 the collar in males, the axil in females ; foot a little longer tlian the 

 head; digits feebly compressed. Tail If to 2 times as long as head 

 and body. 



Upper head-shields rugose with keels and granular asperities, 

 frontal, parietals, and intraparietal each with two keels ; nostril pierced 

 between 3 shields ; nasals forming a suture behind the rostral ; 

 frontonasal divided into 2 small shields, which are about as large as 

 the upper part of the nasals, sometimes with a third shield betAveen 

 them ; prefrontals longer than broad, usually separated by a narrow 

 shield, rarely by 2, one in front of the other ; frontal as long as its 

 distance from the end of the snout, 1| to 2 times as long as broad, 

 of nearly equal width throughout, or a little narrower posteriorly ; 

 parietals longer than broad ; interparietal 1^ to 2 times as long as 

 broad, in contact with a much shorter occipital, which may be a little 

 broader, and the rounded posterior border of which projects beyond 

 the parietals. 4 supraoculars, first in contact with the frontal and 

 usually broken up into 2 or 3 small keeled shields, fourth usually 



