768 MK. E. H. AUSTEN OiV A llEOBNT ZOOLOGICAL [June 16, 



the inner digit, eight or nine under the fourth ; limbs with dermal 

 folds, the largest extending from the vent to the fifth toe. Tail 

 much depressed, bordered on each side by a broad, entire, dermal 

 fold with fringetl edge. Rostral quadrangular, broader than deep ; 

 nostril pierced between the rostral and four scales ; 12 upper and 

 10 lower labials; symphyslal triangular; two pairs of chin-shields, 

 the median forming a suture behind tlie symphysial. Head, back, 

 and limbs covered « ith small granules, largest on the snout ; 

 occiput and back with numerous small, round, smooth tubercles ; 

 ventral scales small, cycloid, imbricate, smooth. Tail covered 

 with small granular scales, the muscular portion with transverse 

 rows of small smooth tubercles above, with a series of transverse 

 shields beneath. Grey above, speckled with brown, with quad- 

 rangular dark spots disposed in pairs along the back, connected 

 by brownish bands and wavy transverse lines, and confluent into 

 cross-bars on the tail ; a dark streak on each side of the head, 

 passing through the eye ; pale yellow beneath, speckled with 

 blackish on the sides, the muscular portion of the tail coral-red. 

 " Iris golden brown." 



millim. millii 



Total length 115 



Head KJ 



"Width of head .... 



Body 43 



The single specimen is a female. 



Fore limb 17 



Hind limb 21 



Tail 56 



9. Notes on a Recent Zoological Expedition on the Lower 

 Amazon. 15y E. E. Austen, Zoological Department, 

 British Museum. 



[Received June IG, 18'JG.] 



In the autumn of last year Mr. Alexander Siemens, of the firm 

 of Messrs. Siemens, Bros. & Co., Limited, of Woolwich, being about 

 to proceed to the Amazon in command of an expedition for the 

 purpose of laying a telegraph-cable from Parii to Manaos, and 

 iiaviiig been much interested by the perusal of the well-known 

 works of Bates and Wallace on the fauna of this particular region 

 of the South-American continent, thought that the expedition 

 would afford an excellent opportunity of increasing the national 

 collections. Mr. Siemens accordingly made a most public-spirited 

 offer to the Trustees of the British Museum to the effect that, 

 should they desire to avail themselves of the opportunity, he would 

 be pleased to take on board his ship, the cable s.s. ' Faraday,' a 

 member of the Museum staff in order to make collections at the 

 various localities on the river with which telegraphic connection 

 would have to be effected. Needless to say, the Trustees accepted 

 the offer in the spirit in which it was made, and through the 



