411 



lar, the granulations of the posterior part of the back being a little 

 more scale-like. The belly and the inner side of the extremities 

 have rhombic, imbricate scales. The shields of the lower side of 

 the tail are narrow, broad, extending from one side to the other. No 

 prseanal or femoral pores. 



The fore-leg, if laid forwards, reaches beyond the anterior margin 

 of the orbit. The fingers are slender, of moderate length : the first 

 is the shortest, then comes the second, the third, and finally the 

 fourth and fifth, which are nearly equal. The hind-leg, if laid for- 

 wards, reaches to the humeral joint. The toes are similar to the 

 fingers : the first is the shortest, then comes the second, then the 

 third and fifth, which are equal in length, and finally the fourth, 

 which, although the longest, does not extend beyond the tip of the 

 third. 



The teeth are small : the palate is toothless. 



The ground colour is greyish or brown. Some of the specimens 

 (the light- coloured ones) have a lighter .dorsal streak, with pairs of 

 brown spots ; the brown specimens have the dorsal streak and spots 

 indistinct, but are irregularly spotted with bluish, each spot being 

 edged with darker colouring. The head of all is whitish, with sym- 

 metrical, reticulated black lines, one from the eye towards the snout 

 being very constant. Chin, throat, and breast white, the throat 

 sometimes speckled with black ; the belly greyish ; the lower parts 

 of the tail grey. 



inches, lines. 

 Distance between the extremity of the snout and 



the tympanum 5 



Distance between the tympanum and the vent . . I 4 



Length of the tail 1 6 



Total length 3 3 



OPHIDIA. 



1. Rhabdosoma crassicaudatum, Dum. and Bibr. p. 103. 



A single specimen, with the back uniform lead-coloured, which 

 colour extends on the sides of the belly ; the middle of the belly 

 uniform yellowish. 



2. Rhabdosoma mactjlatum, Gthr. Colubr. Snakes, p. 241. 



There are some beautiful specimens of this species in the collec- 

 tion, one of which is twenty-three inches long. The light ground 

 colour becomes darker with age, and is changed into light brown ; 

 consequently the brown spots become less distinct, are more dilated, 

 and the white edges nearly lost. Brownish spots appear sometimes 

 on the belly. 



3. Rhabdosoma elaps, Gthr. Colubr. Snakes, p. 241. 



