206 SAURIA. 



tween the concavity of the former series arid the supraciliary series, 

 which is composed of small, narrow, and elongated pieces, five in 

 number. 



1. ELGARIA FORMOSA, B. & G. 

 (Plate XXIII, figs. 10-17.) 



CHAR. SPEC. Squamis doraualibus in octo d quad raginta series tran-scer- 

 sales et sexdecim longitudinales dispositis. Scutis postnasalibus duo- 

 bus, parvis. Scutellis praeanalibus quam abdominaUbus minoribus. 

 Supra olioaceo-viridescente, cum duodecimfasciis nigris undulatis trans 

 collum et tergum, singulis fasciis unam tantum seriem squamarunt 

 operientibus, quarurn apices sunt albi col or is ; infra wricolori. 



SPEC. CHAR. Dorsal scales disposed upon forty-eight transverse and 

 sixteen longitudinal series. Two small postnasals. Preanal shields 

 smaller than the abdominal ones. Ground color above greenish- 

 olive, with twelve undulating black bands across the neck and back, 

 covering but one row of scales, which are tipped with white ; be- 

 neath unicolor. 



SYN. Eli/aria formosa, B. & G. in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. VI, 1852, 175. 



DESCR. The head, which constitutes about the fifth of the length, 

 the tail excluded, is subpyramidal; its surface is depressed, slightly con- 

 cave, and sloping towards the snout. The maxillary teeth, the only ones 

 present, are quite small, disposed upon one row, subconical, acute, and 

 curved inwardly. The occipital plates, numbering three pairs, have a 

 smooth appearance, with slight traces of subtubercular ridges ; the an- 

 terior two pairs inclosing an odd and subcordiform one, whilst a few 

 small scales may be observed between the posterior pair. The vertex 

 plate is elongated, subhexagonal, broadest posteriorly, and somewhat 

 concave laterally. There is a pair of postfrontals, and an odd prefron- 

 tal, larger than the latter individually. In advance of the prefrontal 

 are two pairs of small internasals or interfron to- rostral. The rostral 

 itself is quite low, and scarcely perceptible upon an upper view of the 

 head (fig. 12). The nostril opens towards the posterior edge of an 

 oblong nasal plate, between which and a rather large subquadrangular 

 loral, may be observed two small postnasal plates. Three elongated 



