51 

 Family IV.— ERYCID^. 



Body moderate, rounded ; tail very short ; head with a 

 broad snout. Eye small with vertical pupil. Head scaled. 

 Scales small in numerous rows. Ventrals narrow, sub- 

 caudals single. , ' Rudimentary hind limbs visible, as in the 

 Python, but only in the male. 



GONGYLOPHIS, Wagler. 



Head flat, oblong, scarcely distinct. Scales keeled. Chin 

 scaled, without mental groove. 



G. CONicus, Schneider. The Red Sand-Snake. Plate IX, fig. 3. 

 Scales 41-53. Ventrals 168-186, subc. 17-23. Small 

 labials, 15, a rostral and two small frontals are the only 

 head-shields ; the orbit is surrounded by scales. Grey with 

 an irregular vertebral chain formed by dorsal coalescing 

 rows of reddish brown blotches ; belly white. Grows to 

 3 feet, of which the tail If inches. 

 Common in Southern India. 



CURSORIA, Gray. 

 Similar to the preceding genus, but with smooth scales. 



C, ELEGANS, Gray. 

 Scales 36. A solitary museum specimen. 



ERYX, D. and B. 



Head hardly distinct, snout obtusely conical, with a 

 sharp transverse edge. Scales keeled, but much less than 

 in Gongylophis. A mental groove. 



E. JOHNII, Bussell. The Black Sand-Snake. Plate IX, fig. 4. 

 Scales 50-65. Ventrals 189-209, subc. 19-36. Similar to 

 Gongylophis but the scales are much smoother and the tail 

 more cylindrical. Dark olive above and below with 

 numerous black blotches or uhsymmetrical cross-bars. 



