10. RISTELLA, 357 
corresponding to the posterior notch of the tongue. Teeth conical, 
Eyelids well developed, scaly. Ear-opening distinct. Nostril pierced 
in a single nasal; no supranasals ; prefrontals small or coalesced ; 
frontoparietals and interparietal distinct. Limbs well developed, 
anterior with four, posterior with five digits; claws completely 
retractile in a large compressed sheath formed of one large scale cleft 
inferiorly. 
India. 
Synopsis of the Species. 
I. A pair of small prefrontals ; frontonasal forming a suture with 
the frontal. 
Ear-opening much larger than the nostril ; 
dorsal scales feebly bi- or tricarinate. 1. rurkii, p. 357. 
Ear-opening not, or but slightly, larger 
than the nostril; dorsal scales sharply 
DICAPINATS og a bas ow cies eva ve 2. travancorica, p. 358. 
II. Two azygos shields between the rostral and the frontal. 
22 or 24 scales round the middle of the 
body ; adpressed limbs not meeting .. 3. guentheri, p. 358. 
26 scales round the body ; adpressed limbs 
meeting or overlapping ............ 4, beddomit, p. 359. 
1. Ristella rurkii. (Prarze XXIX. fig. 1.) 
Ristella rurkii, Gray, Cat. p. 86. 
Ristella rurkii, Gray, Ann. N. H. ii. p. 333; Gtinth. Proe. Zool. Soc. 
1875, p. 225. 
Ateuchosaurus travancoricus, part., Beddome, Madras Journ, Med. 
Se. 1870. : 
Ristella travancorica, part., Bedd. op. cit. 1871. : 
travancorica, Stoliczha, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xli. 1872, p. 129, 
pl. iv. fig. 5; Theob. Cat. Rept. Brit. Ind. p. 54. 
Head small; snout short, obtuse. Ear-opening much larger than 
the nostril. Frontonasal broader than long, widely separating the 
nasals; prefrontals present, widely separated ; frontal shorter than 
frontoparietals and interparietal together ; five supraoculars, three 
anterior in contact with the frontal; ten supraciliaries; parietals 
forming a suture behind the interparietal ; no nuchals ; third, fourth, 
and fifth upper labials below the eye, from which they are separated 
by a series of small scales. 26 scales round the middle of the body ; 
laterals a little smaller than dorsals and ventrals, dorsals and laterals 
feebly bi- or tricarinate. Praanal scales not or scarcely enlarged. 
Limbs short, widely separated when adpressed; third and fourth 
toes equal. Tail cylindrical, once and a half to once and two thirds 
the length of head and body. Back reddish brown; each dorsal 
scale with a small blackish spot or shaft, sometimes confluent and 
forming six longitudinal lines; sides blackish brown, dotted with 
whitish ; lower surfaces whitish, throat and tail usually brown- 
spotted. 
