BLIND-WORM. 41 



creased in the genus Chalcides^ and still more in Seps, which 

 has a very elongated body, the limbs extremely small, and 

 the toes only four or three on each foot. In Monodactylus 

 a further reduction takes place in the developement of the 

 limbs, which have dwindled to a mere little undivided finger; 

 they are still, however, four in number ; but in the genus 

 Bipcs the anterior ones have wholly disappeared, and are 

 found in a rudimentary state under the integument, the pos- 

 terior ones constituting only small undivided processes. 

 These also being removed, the Ophidian form of the present 

 genus, and those of Tortix, Typhlops, and others, with all 

 the Amphisb<Enid&, succeed, in which the bones of the shoul- 

 der, the sternum, and the pelvis exist in a more or less ru- 

 dimentary condition ; and lead us towards the true Snakes, 

 in which all these parts are lost excepting the rudiment of a 

 posterior extremity, which in the Boa appears externally in the 

 form of a small horny hook, or holder, on each side of the vent. 

 In the Serpents, the gape, too, has assumed its extreme power 

 of extension, from the bones of the jaws and other parts of the 

 face being separate ; and in most of them the scales, which in 

 the former groups were similar on the upper and under parts 

 of the body and tail, are small and imbricated above, whilst 

 beneath they assume the form of broad transverse plates. 

 Such is a very brief account of the beautiful gradations by 

 which these reptiles pass from the true or typical Saurian 

 to the Ophidian form ; and although, perhaps, it would 

 be more consistent with analogy to consider, with Merrem, 

 the whole of the scaled Reptilia as constituting one great 

 order, yet the union of this interesting intermediate group, 

 to which Mr. Gray has given the name Saurophidia from 

 that relation, is a legitimate and important improvement 

 upen the confusion in which they were left by Cuvier, who 

 separated animals even of the same family, and placed some 

 in his order " Sauriens" and others in his " Ophidiens." 



