796 EEPTILTA. 



and the same remark applies to their colouring. In the Yunnan examples, the upper 

 surface is light brown, darker on the head ; the under aspect is pale yellow. The 

 lateral fold begins one inch behind the gape, and its ventral margin has a dark edge, 

 and, a scale's breadth below it, there is a faint dark lateral line, and, at the same 

 distance . above it, a dark broad, almost black line running from an inch behind 

 the gape to the tip of the tail. There is a ventral series of black spots on the 

 anterior two-thirds of the body. In some specimens these spots are bright blue ; in 

 others they extend across the back as transverse blue bands with dilated lateral 

 portions, forming an interrupted band along the side. 



Family— /SC/A^CTi;^. 



Genus Thopidophorus, D. & B. 

 Tropidophorus berdmorei, Blyth. Plate LXXYI, Pig. 3. 



Aspris berdmorei, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc, Bengal, vol. xxii, 1853, p. 650; Giinther, Kept. B. Ind,, 



1864, p. 77. 

 Tropidop/iorus berdmorei, Theobald, Cat. Kept. As. Soc. Mus. Journ. As. Soc, Bengal, Ex. No., 



vol. xxxvii, 1868, p. 23; Journ. Linn. Soc, vol. x, 1868, p. 24; Descr., Cat. Kept. Brit. Ind., 



1876, p. 48. 



I obtained specimens of this species in the Hotha valley, Yunnan. 



Lower eyelid scaly. No supranasals. The prefrontal forms a suture with the 

 rostral, and meets in a point with the vertical and postfrontal. The vertical has nar- 

 row hinder margins and is transversely truncated. A pair of small anterior and of 

 large posterior occipitals separated by a narrow wedge-like azygos shield. Pour super- 

 ciKaries. Two loreals and one prefrontal. Six upper labials. A pair of large anal 

 scales. Sub-caudals large. Thirty-four rows of scales round the body. Porty-five 

 transverse rows between the axilla and groin. The fore limbs feeble, reaching only 

 to the angle of the mouth. The hind leg, when laid forwards, stretches half-way 

 between the groin and axilla. Total length 6"-75 ; tail 3'50. 



Upper surface dark brown, with light brown margins. Back and tail with 

 a series of large yellowish- brown transverse blotches, with black margins. They 

 extend on to the sides of the back, and each has two or three white spots at its lateral 

 margins. They become very indistinct on the tail. Side of the body and tail 

 with small white spots. Under surface yellowish ; chin, neck and under surface of 

 tail marbled with brown. 



The remarkable circumstance connected with these Yunnan specimens of this 

 species is that the scales are quite smooth, whereas in the types from Mergui 

 described by Blyth, and also in other specimens in the British Museum presented by 

 Mr. Theobald from Pegu, the scales of the back are strongly keeled. My speci- 

 mens are adult, and with this enigmatical exception of the entire absence of keeling, 

 agree in every other particular with Blyth's types, with which I have compared 

 them. The identity is so perfect that no course is left but to regard these keele(l 



