2 Records of the S.A. Museum 



I have before me a live example of T. bitiibernilatiis. the most widely dis- 

 tributed and the commonest species in South Au^traHa; ])laced in a box contain- 

 ing sand it quickly burrows by means of its sharp-edged snout, which is rapidly 

 moved from side to side so as to displace the sand in its passage. This action 

 may also be presupposed in the case of other species having a cutting-edged snout, 

 as, for example, T. austral is; but blunt-snouted species such as T. brooini and 

 T. ligatns must I)iu"r(i\v in different manner or inti) soil of different character, 

 presuming that they do actually l)urruw ; wdiile one may fruitlessly speculate as 

 to the use of the extraordinary beak-like snout of T. j/rypiis:. During i)rogression 

 the tail is curved downwards so as to provide a point d'appiii. the thorn-like 

 spine at its tip greatly assisting its action. Though T have handled scores of 

 specimens of different species none has ever assumed the position described or 

 illustrated by McCoy. ( i ) Placed upside down upon a table the snake quickly 

 rights itself, the use of the caudal spine being then very evident. Held in the 

 hand, the pressure of the snout as the snake tries to tlrive itself through the flesh 

 is surprising, and when applied to the fissure between the closed fingers its 

 efforts can scarcely be resisted: at the same time the application of the caudal 

 thorn against the skin is quite pronounced. It also has consideralile constricting 

 powers, and can wind itself tightly round the fingers. 



Settling down Ijelow the sand the snake may coil itself into a close compact 

 mass, and when discovered in nature, in dormant condition, these reptiles are 

 usually found so coiled. When abo\'e ground the blind snakes are so evidently 

 ill at ease that they are in constant movement, endeavouring to burrow, and it is 

 thus difficult to photograph them in life ; by placing them on a sanded board, 

 however, they are prevented from bvirrowing while a natural appearance is main- 

 tained. The three photograplrs on Plate i arc all of the same specimen, and in 

 all the head is directed towards the left hand. 



During the course of its wanderings on the tal)le the snake will sometimes 

 tie itself into a knot by passing its head through a loop of its own body ■( PI. I, 

 fig. 2 ) ; it is not untied by reverse action, but by continuing the nidtion, so that the 

 knot is passed backwards along the whole length of the bi)d\-. when the tail 

 finallv emerges from the coil and the knot is undone. 



Appearance. I'^xcepting as regards size and C(impar;iti\ e ])rcip(irtiiins, 

 all Australian species are of very similar appearance, having cylindrical bodies 

 of fairly uniform thickness throughout, or somewhat thickened towards the tail, 

 the diameter of which may be greater than that of ,-niy other \nivl. The l;iil 

 terminates abruptly, but in all our si)ecies actually ends in a fixed thorn-like point 

 to which the rows of scales converge, and of which it forms a common termina- 



(1) McCoy, Prod. Zool. Vict. ii. 1SS5, pi. 103, 



