174 SAURIA. 



genus ; the head and body are cevered with very numerous 

 small, hexagonal tubercles, arranged without order, in- 

 creasing in size from the head to the tail ; the under parts 

 of the head and body are also covered with tubercles, which 

 are larger than those above, and imbricated ; the tail is 

 thick and broad, constricted near the root, and fusiform to 

 its tip, which is sharp, rather flat beneath; at its junction 

 with the body are two large reniform glands ; the legs are 

 short and strong, the fore-legs, when applied to the neck, 

 reach to the eye, the hind-legs half-way along the belly. 

 The upper surface of the animal is pale fleshy, clouded or 

 spotted with darker tints ; the lower parts are dull white 

 or yellowish. 



Entire length, not quite 3 inches ; tail, 5 lines. 



This reptile is peculiar to the Island of Sardinia, and it 

 is remarkable that all the other species of the genus, as re- 

 corded by MM. Dumeril and Bibron in the ' Erpetologie 

 Generale,' are Australian or South American, except one, 

 which has been found at the Cape of Good Hope and in 

 Madagascar. The JP. Miropceus was discovered by Prof. 

 Gene in Sardinia, where it is usually found under the bark 

 of trees, but occasionally under stones. It has been figured 

 and described at length by Prince Buonaparte in his 

 ' Fauna Italica.' 



Genus STENQDACTYLTJS. 



The toes rounded, without disks, ending in a sharp 

 point, furnished beneath with small granular scales, and 

 dentated on their edges ; no femoral pores ; the tail much 

 dilated near the base in the males, very slender for the 

 rest of its length. There are no folds of skin along the 

 sides of the body. The following is the only species 

 hitherto known. 



