6 Laceriidse. 



times as long as head ; toes slender, compressed. Tail 2| to 2| times 

 as long as head and body. 



Nostril pierced between 3 shields ; nasals forming a suture behind 

 the rostral, the suture i to | the length of the frontonasal, which is 

 much broader than long and broader than the internarial space; 

 prefrontals forming a short median suture; frontal as long as its 

 distance from the end of the snout, nearly twice as long as broad, 

 angular in front, much narrower behind, feebly grooved ; parietals 1^ 

 times as long as broad, meeting on the median line between the narrow 

 or very small interparietal and the small, triangular occipital. 4 

 supraoculars, first small, divided into two and in contact with the 

 frontal, second and third large and subequal, fourth small and some- 

 times divided into two ; 5 or 6 superciliaries, separated from the 

 supraoculars by a series of granules. Lower eyelid transparent in the 

 middle, with feebly enlarged scales, some of which are deeper than the 

 others. Rostral not entering the nostril ; a single postnasal ; anterior 

 loreal shorter than second ; 4 upper labials anterior to the subocular, 

 which is a little narrower beneath than above. A long, narrow upper 

 temporal, in contact with the fourth supraocular, followed by two 

 small shields ; upper temporal scales small and granular, lower large ; 

 a distinct tympanic shield. 



4 pairs of chin-shields, first three in contact in the middle ; 21 gular 

 scales in a straight median line, granular in front, gradually enlarged 

 and imbricate towards the collar, which is formed of 9 plates. 



Scales flat, granular on the nape, subimbricate and smooth or faintly 

 keeled on the body, with the two series on the spine much enlarged 

 and plate-like, hexagonal and twice as broad as long ; 28 or 30 plates 

 and scales across the middle of the body. Ventral plates in 6 longi- 

 tudinal and 26 transverse series, the border of the transverse series 

 notched between the plates, the median pair of which is narrower than 

 the others. Two enlarged preanal plates, one in front of the other, 

 with smaller plates anteriorly and laterally. 



13 femoral pores on each side. 27 to 30 lamellar scales under the 

 fourth toe. 



Caudal scales forming alternately somewhat longer and shorter 

 whorls, upper oblique, rather strongly keeled, obtusely pointed behind ; 

 20 scales in the fourth or fifth whoi-1. 



Toung dark brown above, with 5 yellowish longitudinal streaks, 

 the median bifurcating on the nape, each branch extending to the 

 middle of the posterior border of the parietal shield ; the lateral streaks 

 occupying the same position as in P. spinalig. Adult grey above, with 

 3 lemon-yellow longitudinal streaks, the median forked on the nape 



