1872.] HIMALAYAN, AND OTHER REPTILES. 377 



the shields of the first pair forming a broad suture, the others 

 separated by a number of small scales. Thirty rows of scales 

 around the body, one inch behind the head. Two longitudinal 

 rows of hexagonal scales, with their long diameter set nearly trans- 

 versely to the body ; the rows immediately external to them and on 

 the sides slightly smaller and rhomboidal, and distributed in oblique 

 rows. Ventral scales hexagonal, larger than those on the vertebral 

 line. Vent with four pairs of anal plates, the central pair the 

 largest. The tail contracts rather suddenly a little beyond its 

 middle ; and the remaining portion is slight, turned up, and covered 

 above and on its sides with large brown scales. Scales on under 

 surface of tail larger than on ventral surface of body, with rounded 

 rather pointed margins. 



Brown above, a dark brown band along the vertebral line of 

 scales, and another one of the same hue along the fourth line of 

 scales external to the former, the four longitudinal lines below 

 shaded with dark brown, which fades away on the sides. General 

 hue of under surface and lower half of sides olive-yellowish. The 

 scales of the side and under surface have each a dark brown centre, 

 with a broad brownish-yellowish or greenish-yellowish margin ; and 

 the predominance of the two last-mentioned colours on the sides and 

 under surface determines the general tints of these parts, the dark 

 centres, however, of the scales being quite distinct. 



Length : snout to vent 4^", vent to tip of ■£%', snout to oc- 

 ciput &". 



Hab. Rehst, on the Caspian Sea. 



This species is distinguished from the A.fragilis, Linn., by the 

 greater number of shields on its head and scales round its body. 



SePIDjE. 



Gongylus ocellatus, Wagler. 



Head much pointed ; rostral rounded in front, concave poste- 

 riorly. Two supranasals, separated by a minute prefrontal. Post- 

 nasal pentagonal, in contact with the first and second labials. Two 

 large loreals, the anterior one about thrice as large as the posterior 

 shield, behind which there are three scale-like preoculars, one be- 

 hind the smallest loreal, and two in a line above it. Frontal large 

 and broad, in contact with the prefrontal, supranasal, vertical, an- 

 terior loreal, and anterior supraocular, which rests on the two up- 

 permost preoculars. Vertical large and elongate, exceeding the 

 distance between its anterior extremity and the tip of the rostral. 

 A small azygos shield wedged into its posterior extremity. One 

 pair of occipitals about the same size as the vertical. Mental not 

 quite so large as the shield behind it. Eyelid with a longitudinally 

 elongate transparent disk. Ear round, of moderate size, not den- 

 ticulated. Scales in thirty-two rows round the body. 



Upper surface (in spirits) of body and tail brown, every alternate 

 line of scales marked by a transverse black band, with a longi- 

 tudinally elongated bluish-white spot in the centre of each scale. 



