SAURIA. 



Finding, however, that Bell's description, as far as it goes, applies to 

 it almost strictly, we give it under the above name. 



DESCR. The head is subdepressed, declivous upon the frontal 

 region : the snout being obtuse and rounded ; it is separated from the 

 body by a somewhat contracted neck. The body itself is subdepressed 

 also, convex above, flattened beneath, and somewhat broader than 

 deep. The limbs are of moderate development : the anterior ones 

 much more slender than the posterior. When the latter are brought 

 forwards in a line with the body, the tip of the longest toe is made to 

 reach the shoulder, whilst the anterior limbs, directed backwards, 

 extend to two-thirds of the distance to the groins. The tail, sub- 

 conical, slightly depressed upon its base, and tapering into a point, is 

 one-fifth longer than the body and head together. 



The cephalic plates are subtubercular, nearly smooth, and irregular 

 in size and shape, all of moderate development : the largest ones may 

 be observed upon the occipital and frontal region. There is a middle 

 row of transversely elongated supraoculars, nearly as conspicuous as 

 the ones just mentioned, and surrounded, along the region of the 

 vertex, by one chain of smaller plates, forming an arc or semicircle, 

 and, along the supraciliary line, by a double series of still smaller 

 plates. The supraciliary ridge itself is composed of nine plates : six 

 thin lamelliform, superposed above the eye, and three stoutish, keeled 

 ones, placed in advance of the orbit, continuing the ridge to the 

 upper labials. The nasal, subpyriform, is situated upon that ridge, 

 with the nostril towards its posterior margin, which is the broadest ; 

 it is separated from the rostral by the anterior supralabial and a small 

 internaso-rostral. The rostral is very much depressed, subconvex, or 

 rounded above, and nearly linear sideways and beneath. The upper 

 labials, eight in number, slightly increasing in size posteriorly, are 

 generally longer than deep. The supralabials, which constitute but 

 one series, are eight in number, similar in size and shape to the upper 

 labials, with this exception, that the three posterior are the smallest of 

 the series. There are three suborbitals : the middle one is as usually 

 much the longest ; the anterior is shorter and wider than the poste- 

 rior. Three small loral plates may be observed between the supralabials, 

 the suborbitals, and supraciliaries. The surface of the eyelid is granu- 

 lar, whilst its margin is provided with a double row of small subquad- 

 rangular plates. The temporal region is covered with small scales, sub- 



