26 Dr. Kelaart on new or little-known species 



Genus Acontias, Cuvier. 

 Acontias Layardi, n. s., nobis. 



Light olive, and spotted longitudinally with brown spots, paler 

 beneath. 



Length of young 4 inches. 



Hab. Soil of the Cinnamon gardens of Colombo. 



The form of this reptile is distinguished from that of Nessia, 

 above described, by the absence of limbs ; in other respects it 

 is very like the outline characters of Nessia. Mr. Layard pro- 

 cured us the specimens (apparently young) of this curious lizard. 



Mr. Blyth writes, that he has described an allied genus from 

 Rangoon by the name of Ophiseps. 



Fam. UROPELTIDiE. 



Rough-tails. Dapat-naya, Sing. 



This curiously formed family of reptiles is known in the island 

 as Dapat-nayas, or Double-headed Snakes. The natives con- 

 sider them poisonous, but our experience of their habits leads 

 us to believe that they are perfectly harmless, and that they are 

 timid creatures, seldom making their appearance above ground, 

 living chiefly in ant-hills or dung-hills, sometimes also several 

 feet deep in rich loamy soil. They feed on ants, small earth- 

 worms, and larvae of insects. 



It appears from Dr. Gray's Catalogue, that in the museums of 

 Europe there are only thi-ee species, and of these three only one 

 is from Ceylon, viz. Siluboura Ceylonicus, many specimens of 

 which we have found in the Kandyan Hills since our work on 

 the Fauna of Ceylon was published. We have also, since the 

 publication of that work, collected three other species, making 

 in all five distinct, undescribed or new species of Rough-tails 

 {Uropeltida:) in the island of Ceylon, which we shall now de- 

 scribe in a connected form. 



Dr. Gray subdivides the family into three groups, and we have 

 added a fourth, to admit of two species, one of which only we 

 have described in the ' Frodromus.' 



Genus Rhinophis, Hempr. 



Rhitiophis Blythii, n. s., nobis. 



Dark yellowish brown above, with darker brown spots on the 

 anterior third of scales ; paler beneath. Rostrum yellow. Sides 

 of nape and neck waved with angular marks of a yellowish hue ; 

 yellow spots on each side of vent. Tail thick, slightly truncated, 

 conical ; upper part near termination has a small subtriangular 



