REVIEW OF THE AUSTRALIAN BLIND SNAKES 



(Family Typhlopidae), 



Bv KDGAR R. WAITE, F.L.S., Dirhctor S.A. Museum. 



Plate i: Charts 1-9; Text figs. 1-24. 



In one of my earlier papers on the Tvphloindae I intimated my intention of 

 writing on the distril^ution of the Family in Australia. This project had to 

 be abandoned on my leaxing Sydney for New Zealand ; on returning to 

 Australia, however, the study was resumed, and this "Review" is the outcome. 

 In order to render the result as complete and satisfactory as possible, 

 I have examined the collections preserved iti all the principal Museums of 

 the Commonwealth, and for this privilege I desire to express my cordial 

 thanks to the go\-erning bodies and cin-ators of the following institutions, 

 namely : 



Queensland Museum, Brisbane. National Museum, Melbourne. 



Australian Museum, Sydney. Western Australian Museum, Perth. 



Macleay Museum, Sydney. 

 The material in our own Museum was, of course, also examined, the total 

 number of specimens studied being .5-42. 



The paper deals critically only with Australian species, but a list of those 

 recorded from the Australian Region, outside the Commonwealth, is furnished 

 as a separate paper. 



Habits. The Blind Snakes, or Worm Snakes, as they are also not inaptly 

 called, are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical lands. They are 

 absolutely harmless to man and occur almost throughout Australia, being 

 foimd even in the dry and arid deserts of the interior. They live under- 

 ground, in termite mounds, or beneath rotting or termite-riddled logs; also 

 in old saw-dust heaps ; they feed largely upon termites or "white ants," also 

 on small worms, the grubs of beetles and on small insects, their eggs, larvae 

 and ])upae. Many of them, if not all, emit an objectionable odour when 

 handled or otherwise distvuMjed, and this faculty may be a protection against 

 enemies, or may provide the means whereby the sexes find each other. 



Though it may be presumed that blind snakes cast their skins, I have not 

 seen any indication of sloughing in these reptiles ; this may be accounted for on 

 the supposition that the skin is shed underground. 



MAR 3 11920 



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