14*2 Characters of two New Genera 



sopelca, in consequence of having learnt from him that he had, pre- 

 vious to his departure from Europe, observed like appearances in 

 the Coluber ornatus, and had on that account separated it from the 

 other then constituted genera, under the title of Chrysopelea orna- 

 ta. Though the term employed by me was originally framed 'as the 

 designation of a genus for the Cape species, without any know- 

 ledge of what had been accomplished in Holland, yet that of M. 

 Boie had priority as its patron, and to whatever enjoys that, an 

 immediate and unqualified preference ought invariably to be given. 

 Whoever had the pleasure of witnessing the noble candour and 

 liberality of that celebrated and highly talented naturalist while he 

 was alive, could scarcely feel disposed to act otherwise towards his 

 memory, and it must always be a source of regret with the lovers of 

 natural history, that an individual so eminently calculated to ad- 

 vance their favourite science should have almost immediately fallen 

 a victim to the deleterious effects of the climate of the country he 

 was appointed by his government to explore. 



The three species of the other form, for which I have established 

 the genus Pleurotuchus, present certain of the characters of the 

 Scinci, but at the same time have several others peculiar to them- 

 selves, amongst which one of the most particular is an elevated lon- 

 gitudinal fold of skin, which extends from the angle of the mouth 

 to the base of each hinder extremity, the one edge of which is 

 loose and directed upwards, so as to conceal when undisturbed a nar- 

 row stripe of minute granular or warty-looking bodies, which, instead 

 of scales, cover the skin immediately above its base or fixed edge. 



Class Reptilia. Ordo Sauri. Familia Scincid^. Ge- 

 nus Pleurotuchus. 



Ch. Gen. — Caput quadrangular e, supra scutatum. 



Dentes in maxillis et palato, priorium sequales, fixi approximate, 

 sublongi, cylindrici, acuminate et confertum applicati ad superfi- 

 ciem internam ramorum, ultimi breves acuminati cylindrici et in 

 seriebus duabus profunde in ore siti. 



Lingua crassa depressa et apice incisa. 



Oculi palpebris duabus, pupillis circularibus. 



Corpus subquadrangulare, dorso lateribusque squamis quadrangu- 

 laribus carinatis tectis ; abdomine scutis quadratis in fasciis trans- 

 versis, gutture hexagonis. Plica longitudinalis cutis prominens in- 

 ter angulum oris et extremitates posteriores. 



Cauda subcylindrica, verticillata, et squamas, exceptione illarum 

 prope anum, valde carinatse. 



