Apodous Amphibian from India. 271 



As regards the connexion between tropiciil Africa an<l 

 tropical America, across the nud-Athintic, the geoU)gical 

 evi(knce is ot itself too fragmentary to be convincing, though 

 zoological testimony in its favour is steadily accumulating. 

 Further investigation is needed, and the lines on which it 

 n:ay be conducted have beeii fully discussed by Dr. A. E. 

 Ortmann in a most interesting |)aper uj)on " The Geographical 

 l)istribution of Freshwater Decapods and its bearing upon 

 Ancient Geography," ])ublished in the 'Proceedings of the 

 American Philosophical Society,^ vol. Ixi. no. 171, for 1902. 

 In that paper also copious references to zoo-geographical 

 literature are to be found. 



§ -1. Desciuption of IIerpele Fulleri, sp. n., fiiom 



CaCHAK in the PliOVINCE OF ASSAM. 



IIerpele, Peters. 



Ilerpele, Peters, MB. k. Alsad. Berlin, (187D) 1880, p. 939; Boulenper, 

 Cat. Batr. Brit. Mus. I'lid edit., 1882, p. 100, and P. Z. S. l«9o, 

 p. 409. 



" 8(iuamosals in contact with parietals ; eyes over-roofed 

 by bone. Two series of teeth in the lower jaw. Tentacle 

 globular, surrounded by a ring-like groove, situated below 

 and posteriorly to the nostril. Cycloid scales imbedded in 

 the skin.'' 



Herpele Fulleri, sp. n. (PL VII.) 



The snake-like or worm-like body gradually increases in 

 girth trum the base of the shark-like snout to a point near 

 the stump-like hinder end. 



The head is about .}f of the total length. The snout is 

 long ai;d sharp and far overhangs the mouth. The nostril is 

 lateral, and a short way below and behind it (in a vertical 

 line with the symphysis of the lower jaw), and on a slight 

 eminence, is a minute globular circumvallate tentacle. 



The mouth-deft is wide. The teeth of the upper jaw, 

 vomer, and palatine are small, recurved, and stand in a single 

 series; tiiose of the lower jaw are in two series and are 

 larger. 



fso traces of eyes are visible until the skin is removed, 

 when the minute eyes are seen lying beneath the bones of 

 the head. 



Behind the head the integument forms 101 lings, of which 

 those near the after end of the body are the narrowest. 



The epidermis is finely, profusely, and sharjily arcolated, 

 the areoltC conesjionding Mith small deinial scales, which 

 are very plain when the epidermis is removed. 



