SYNOPSES AND DESCRIPTIONS. 7 
ONYCHOPHIDIA. 
With rudimentary limbs, the only external evidence of which is a claw 
on each side of the vent. Pupil vertical. 
Body nearly cylindrical ; 
head rather indistinct from the neck ; 
tail usually short, thick, non-prehensile 
ERYCIDAE. 
Body compressed ; 
head distinet from the neck ; 
tail generally prehensile; larger teeth in front 
BoaEIDAE. 
ERYCIDAE. 
Body nearly cylindrical; head small, rather indistinct; tail non-prehen- 
sile, short, thick, usually blunt. Eyes small, pupil vertical. Head-shields 
irregular. With a spur on each side of the vent. 
Asia, Africa, E. Indies, America. 
CHARINA Gray. 
Body stout, subeylindrical; head small; tail short, thick, blunt. Eyes 
small, pupil vertical. Head-shields irregular. Nasals in contact behind 
the rostral. Nostrils lateral. Labials varying in number, reaching the 
orbit, or subdivided and separated from it by small suborbitals. Loreals 
one or more. Scales smooth, imbricate. Subcaudals one row, sometimes 
irregular. Anal entire. Spurs small. Puget Sound to Mexico. 
CHARINA BOTTAE. 
Tortrix Borran Blainville, 1835, Now. Ann. du Mus. (IIT), 290, pl. 26, f. 1-10, 
CuHArINA Borrar Gray, 1849, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus., 113. 
Body moderately elongate, subcylindrical, slightly compressed, little fusi- 
form; head small, rather indistinct; tail short, thick, blunt. Kye small, 
pupil vertical. Mouth cleft moderate, outline nearly. straight. Snout 
prominent, broad, rounded, Head-shields and number of scales on the 
body varying greatly. Rostral broad. Prefrontals varying, usually two 
pairs. Frontal broader than long. | Parietals broad and short, or dis- 
sected. Supraorbital short, broad. Nasal in two parts, nostril between; 
the anterior portions are longer, and meet on the top of the snout, or are 
subdivided to form a pair of internasals. One or more loreals. One or 
