REPTILIA. 283 



and even in the beginning of the present century, they were united 

 therewith. The rest, with the exception of the small genus Draco, 

 were all referred by LINNJEUS to the genus Lacerta, which, however, 

 also contained the tailed species of Diplopnoa which were known to 

 him. We divide this order into two principal groups, of which the 

 second contains the family of the crocodiles alone, the first and 

 largest group all the remaining lacertine animals. 



TRIBE I. SquamatL 



Teeth concrete at their base with jaws or adhering to the 

 internal margin of jaws. Cloacal fissure transverse. Penis double. 

 Body covered with scales. 



Family XVI. Scincoidei. Tongue not extensile, flat, with 

 apex mostly emarginate or bifid. Head scutate. Body everywhere 

 covered with imbricate scales. Feet short, often imperfect, some- 

 times none. Femoral pores none. 



Of this family only a small number of species occur in our quarter 

 of the world; they are most numerous in Asia and the Indian Archi- 

 pelago, on the islands of the southern Pacific and in New Holland. 

 They are for the most part small animals, of which some few attain 

 a length of I 7 ; very few which become more than 1^ feet long, 

 may be regarded as gigantic forms in this family. 



The whole body is covered with scales that lie over one another 

 in the fashion of roof-tiles, like the scales of a carp. Only very few 

 have teeth in the palate; we shall indicate the cases in which these 

 teeth occur when characterising the genera. 



Acontias Guv. Teeth short, conical. Apex of snout masked 

 by a broad scute. Nostrils very minute, cut in rostral scute above. 

 Body elongate, serpent-like. Feet none, or very short vestiges of 

 hind feet. Tail short, with apex rounded, obtuse. 



a) With eyes latent under the skin, very small. 



Dibamus DUM. and BIBR. Rudiments of hind feet small, flat, 

 adactylous, scaly. 



Sp. Acontias subccecus, Mus. L. B., Dibamus Novce Guinea DUM. and BIBB. ; 

 a small animal of New Guinea met with also at Celebes ; the small eyes 

 are distinctly visible under the skin. 



