202 SAXTRIA. 



compartments; the tail is conical, and forms more than 

 one-tenth of the entire length of the animal ; before the 

 vent are six small pores, each in a small scale ; the com- 

 partments into which the skin is divided are square on 

 the neck above, four-sided and very narrow on the back, 

 flanks, and tail ; on the under surface they are scarcely 

 longer than wide ; round the body, from the head to the 

 vent, are 125 rings, round the tail eighteen ; the head is 

 dull white ; the compartments of the skin above are bluish 

 ash or brown, with more or less of a chestnut or reddish 

 tinge, with whitish intervals ; the sutures or furrows which 

 run along the back and each side of the body are also 

 whitish, and are marked by a succession of impressions 

 like the letter X. 



Entire length, 10 inches. 



Inhabits Portugal, and has been found in Spain, near 

 Cadiz ; occurs also in Barbary. 



Family SCINCOID.33. 



Head above covered by horny, thin, angular plates, with 

 distinct, regular sutures ; neck of the same thickness with 

 the breast ; the rest of the body and the limbs everywhere 

 clothed with imbricated scales, generally with their free 

 margins slightly rounded, arranged in the form of a quin- 

 cunx ; back rounded, without crests or spines ; belly cylin- 

 drical; no furrow along the sides; tongue free, not 

 sheathed, slightly notched at its tip, covered with papilli 

 wholly or in part. 



Genus SCINCUS. 



Tongue notched, scaly ; teeth conical, simple, blunt ; 

 palate with a longitudinal furrow, furnished with teeth ; 



