OFFICINAL SCIXK 283 



flatness in its belly : its tail too is perfectly round, 

 having no flatness in its lower part : it is exceed- 

 ingly sharp-pointed, and very easily broke, yet I 

 have seen several where the part broke oft has 

 been renewed, so as scarcely to be discernible : it 

 is the same length between the point of the tail 

 and the joint of the hinder leg, as was between 

 the nose and the shoulder of the fore leg : its fore- 

 head, from the occiput, is fiat, its shape conical, 

 not pointed but rounded at the end, in the shape 

 of some shovels or spades : the head is darker than 

 the body; the occiput darker still: its face is 

 covered with fine black lines, which cross one 

 another at right angles like a net : its eyes are 

 small, defended with a number of strong black 

 hairs or eye-lashes : its upper jaw is longer, and 

 projects considerably over the under : both its 

 jaws have a number of short, fine, but very feeble 

 teeth, and, when holding it in my hand, though 

 it struggled violently to get loose, it never at- 

 tempted to make use of its teeth ; indeed it seems 

 to turn its neck with great difficulty : its ears are 

 large, open, and nearly round : its body is a light 

 yellow, bordering on straw colour, crossed with 

 eight bands of black, almost equally distant, ex- 

 cept the two next the tail : all these decrease both 

 in breadth and lengf! from the middle towards each 

 extremity of the animal : the scales are largest 

 along the back ; they are very close, though thedivi- 

 sions are sufficiently apparent: their surface is very 

 polished, and seems as if varnished over : its legs, 

 from the shoulder to the middle toe, are nearly an 



