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Tin: IlATUAClllA Ol' NORTH AMDIJICA. 



17;{ 



Tlio lioatl JH (U'pn'ssnl, triiuiRulur, iiliiiost \v«'(Ij,m' slinpcd viewed hit- 

 orally, ami rather pointed; more triiiieate in llieyoiin;;'. The iippi'ijaw 

 is |>r(»jeetin}( and overhips th«^ h)\ver. Tliejjape isal»nnt .strai;,dit. Th*- 

 end ol' the iipiterjaw is llatlened oliliqnel.v a little, visilde oiilv IVoni lie- 

 low. The nostrils aie very saiall, placed more laterally than snperioily, 

 andalittlu below the anterior end ol the ronnded eanthiis lostralis. 

 Theey«'sarc directed antero laterally, so that the lines of the upper eye- 

 lids would intersect before leachinj; the lip of the nose. 



There is oidy a sli<>ht constriction at the neck, the entire animal from 

 head to rump hviu^ nearly of the same diameter, and the body passes 

 insensibly into the tail. This is ipiadrate or nearly stpiai'e at the base 

 (with riMinded corners), but becomes more and more compressed to the 

 pointed tip. The dorsal surface of llu^ tail rises into an acute rid;;(> for 

 the posterior twothiids, the ventral for one-third. There are liftcen 

 costal ;;roovcs, including one in th(>. ;4:i'(>ii>. If cdiitiuned to the axilla 

 there would be sixteen, but theic is no distinct axillary one. The verti- 

 cal ;^roove.Hof the tail are distinct at the base of the tail, but so«»n bectome 

 indistinct. 



A.S stated, old specimens havu a prop(U'tioiially larger body than 

 yoiin;;c'r. 



The lindts are all very weak ; the dibits feeble. The third linj-er is 

 lou^M'st, then the .second, fourth, and first. The third and fourth toes 

 are nearly equal, then the second. The first dibits an* (piite rudiment- 

 ary, especially the first toe. The youiijicr spei'imeiis appear to hav(* 

 proportionally lonj^er diyits and more slender liiiib>. 



The toii;;iu^ is a nearly circular disk, entirely free, supportc'd on a 

 slemler pedicel like a mushroom, and capable of beiiijn <'xtended beyond 

 the mouth. The palatine teeth are transverse. Just beliiml the nostrils 

 (by one diameter), and form an abrupt rectan;;le with each of the .series 

 oil the parasphenoid bone, which widen behind and leave a free chan- 

 nel down the median line. This free space ant«'iiorly is as wide as the 

 diameter of the inner nares, but like the patches ol' teeth widens a lit- 

 tle behind. The space is encroached upon by the plates of parasphe- 

 noid teeth with aj;e. 



The inner nostrils are minute, about transversely elleptical and con- 

 tinuous, with a well-delined narrow -groove runninjiout to the maryiii 

 of the jaw. They are situated about opposite the center of the trans- 

 verse portion of the teeth, the lenjj;t!i of which may be about three times 

 as ;;reat as the major axis of the nostrils. 



The colors of the younjjfer specimens of this species in alcohol are a 

 pale salmou-yellow, lighter beneath; the back and upjter part of the 

 sides sprinkled irn'fjularly and thickly with sharply-deliued blackish 

 spots, lookinjj like };rains of c()arse <junpowder. These s[>ots vary in 

 si/e with the specimen, and are jiciierally lar<;cr towards the dorsal line. 

 With aj;e, and sometimes in yoiiiincr specimens, the borders of these 

 spots are less distinctly delined, and the };round «'olor between them 



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