BUCEPHALUS CAPENSIS. 



wards on the side of the head to join the loral scale between the anti-ocular and 

 rostral scales, the hinder sides of the posterior frontal plates are slightly arched 

 or indistinctly two-sided ; the vertical plate is indistinctly six-sided, the two 

 hinder sides extend backwards and inwards, and terminate in an obtuse 

 angular point which lies in contact with the line where the two occipital plates 

 join, the lateral sides of the plate are longest; the palpebral plates are rather 

 narrow and lengthened, the lateral sides of each are nearly parallel, the 

 anterior extremity somewhat rounded, and the hinder one, which is the 

 broadest, indistinctly two-sided, the innermost of the two sides being considera- 

 bly longer than the outermost ; occipital plates large, irregularly five-sided, 

 and considerably wider at the base than the apex, the last, though nearly 

 square, is nevertheless slightly two-sided. Rostral scale small, oblong, and 

 quadrangular ; loral scale also small and quadrangular ; anterior ocular scale 

 quadrangular, concave, and broadest posteriorly, its upper and hinder angle 

 extending in the form of an angular elongation between the posterior frontal 

 and palpebral plates, in which situation it forms a portion of the covering of 

 the upper surface of the head. Post-ocular scales three, forming a semicircle 

 round the outer canthus of the eye ; temporal scales four or five in number, 

 smooth, unequal, in regard of size, and somewhat six-sided. The scales on 

 the back and sides of the neck, close to the occipital plates, small and smooth, 

 some of them quadrangular, others more or less diamond-shaped, all rather 

 irregularly disposed ; the scales behind these are carinated and disposed in 

 arched transverse rows, the convexity of each row towards the head. The 

 form, &c, of the scales vary at different parts of the rows; the one 

 which, from its situation, may be called the dorsal scale is narrow towards 

 the base, and broad and semicircular at the point, this scale has a distinct 

 carina extending alon"- its centre. The scales on each side of the dorsal 

 one are somewhat ovate, their points either angular, subtruncate, or obtuse, 

 the upper edge of each of these scales is nearly a straight line, the lower, 

 very convex, and much arched ; the carina close to the superior edge, and 

 generally terminating on the upper margin at some distance behind the points 

 of the scales ; the two scales nearest to the abdominal plates on each side 

 are larger than the others, very wide at the base, and rounded at the point, 

 their figure is somewhat triangular; the carina in these is nearly central. 

 The hinder margin of each row of scales overlaps more or less of the base of 

 the row immediately behind it, and the outer edge of each of the scales 

 which compose the rows is more or less covered by the inner edge of the scale 

 immediately external to it, and in this way there is a double kind of 

 imbrication. As far as the base of the tail the above are the characters and 

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