or- litth-knoion South- African Reptiles. 137 



the less a true Homopus^ owing to the structure of the jaws, 

 and is very closely allied to H. areolatus. The small im- 

 portance of the presence or absence of a claw in this group 

 of Chelonians is also well shown by the Central-Asian Tes- 

 tudo Horsfieldii^ which, though in every other respect ex- 

 tremely closely related to T. ibera^ has only four claws to 

 each foot, and would accordingly enter the genus Homopus as 

 defined in the ' Erpetologie g^n^rale.' 



The limbs are scaled as in H. areolatus^ except that a large 

 conical tubercle is present on the hinder side of the thigh. 

 Forehead covered with numerous small and irregular shields. 

 Head and neck yellowish, spotted with black above. 



Sir A. Smith's statement (Illustr. Zool. S. Africa, Append, 

 p. 1) that H. signatus is " common throughout the whole of 

 Southern Africa " is probably the result of erroneous identi- 

 fication, 



(Edura africana^ sp. n. 



Head moderate, much depressed, oviform 5 snout as long as 

 the distance between the eye and the ear-opening, once and 

 a half the diameter of the orbit; ear-opening small, oval, 

 oblique. Head covered with uniform small, round, flat 

 granules ; nostril pierced between the rostral and three nasals, 

 the upper of which is large and forms a suture with its fellow 

 behind the rostral ; ten upper and as many lower labials ; no 

 chin-shields. Back covered with uniform small granules, 

 which are scarcely larger than those on the head ; ventral 

 scales larger, subimbricate, smooth. Digits strongly dilated, 

 the basal portion as broad as the distal expansion, which is a 

 little broader than long ; two pairs of large plates at the extre- 

 mity of the basal portion, which is otherwise covered with 

 very small scales. Male with an angular series of thirteen 

 praianal pores. Tail much depressed, as long as head and 

 body ; its width at the base nearly equals that of the body ; 

 it is divided into very distinct segments, composed of seven or 

 eight transverse series of small smooth scales above and five 

 interiorly.. Greyish above, with small brown spots and 

 transverse brown bands, five on the body and three on the 

 tail. 



millim. 



Total length 129 



Head 16 



Width of head.,., 12 



Body 48 



Fore limb 21 



Iliud hmb 28 



Tail 65 



