8CIN0US. 353 



The fore limb laid forward extends to the front of the eye. Colour olive 

 brown, with more or less numerous black spots on the head, back and 

 sides ; these tend to form longitudinal bands on the anterior portion of 

 the back, and a broad band produced in front of the eye down 

 each side. Below this is a narrow pale line from the upper labials 

 to above the shouldei-, with a more or less dark band beneath it, 

 Accordinj^ to Mr. Blanford this species is viviparous. A large female 

 he captured at Kush-kizard, on being placed in spirit, gave birth 

 to three perfectly formed young, each about 3 inches in length and 

 with an umbilical cord attached to a placenta-like mass. Two others, 

 he says, remained inside the body. 



Length. — Of specimen 7'8 inches, of which the tail measured 3'9 

 inches. 



Hub. — Sind and Persia. 



Sciucus arenaria, 8p. Nov. Plate 



Rostral broader than high, depressed, spathulate, rounded in front and 

 sharp edged. It is slightly concave posteriorly to receive the convex 

 front of the large single pras-frontal. Supra-nasals widely separated. 

 Nostrils lateral, in the front edge of the nasal and below the sub-quad- 

 rangular supra-nasals. The post-frontals are pentagonal, longer than 

 broad, rounded anteriorly and sub -triangular behind. They are broadly 

 joined together and separate the vertical from the prEe-frontal, with both 

 of which they are in contact, and their upper outer margins form 

 sutures with the outer margin of the first and about one-third of the 

 second superciliary shield. The vertical is elongate, in length is twice its 

 greatest width, and extends behind to a line drawn across the hind outer 

 edges of the fourth superciliary shields on each side. Its apex is 

 nearly triangular, and behind it are two anterior occipitals, both 

 broadly in contact with each other, behind these the nearly triangular 

 front of the inter-occipital is received. Upper labials 8, one-half of the 

 fifth, and the sixth, and seventh under the eye. Infra-labials 7-8. 

 Superciliary shields 6, the hindmost smallest. Below these there is 

 also a row of shields, 4 in number, the anterior of which is the longest 

 and the length of the three others together. There is a small shield 

 in the corner of the eye anteriorly, immediately below the first super- 

 ciliary ; another 3-4 times its size behind the eye, and a row of 4 

 shields below the eye, just above, and in suture with the upper labials. 

 Loreals two. Mental small with two shields stretching across the 

 chin behind it, and three pairs of other enlarged shields along the 

 edge of the lower labials, the anterior of which only is in contact with 

 each other. Enlarged scales on the back in 10-12 rows, and 28-30 

 round the middle of the body. Of all the seven specimens I possess, 

 each scale on the back is mesially streaked with dusky brown and 

 edged yellowish white ; those on the middle of the back have darker 

 brown tips. There are 7-10 deep reddish-browQ blotches or spots 

 along the sides ; from the middle of the neck to above the fore limb 

 they are rather rounded, and between the axils of fore and hind limbs, 

 vertically elongated. Tail conical, pointed, about a third the length of 



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