SYNOPSES AND DESCRIPTIONS. 7 



ONYCHOPHIDIA. 



With rudimentary limbs, the only external evidence of which is a claw 

 on each side of the vent. Pupil vertical. 



Body nearly cylindrical; 



head rather indistinct from the neck ; 



tail usually short, thick, non-prehensile 



Eeycidae. 

 Body compressed ; 



head distinct from the neck ; 



tail generally prehensile ; larger teeth in front 



Boaeidae. 



eeycidae. 



Body nearly cylindrical; head small, rather indistinct; tail non-prehen- 

 sile, short, thick, usually blunt. Eyes small, pupil vertical. Head-shields 

 irregular. With a spur on each side of the vent. 



Asia, Africa, E. Indies, America. 



Chaeina Gray. 

 Body stout, subcylindrical; head small; tail short, thick, blunt. Eyes 

 small, pupil vertical. Head-shields irregular. Nasals in contact behind 

 the rostral. Nostrils lateral*. Labials varying in number, reaching the 

 orbit, or subdivided and separated from it by small suborbitals. Loreals 

 one or more. Scales smooth, imbricate. Subcaudals one row, sometimes 

 irregular. Anal entire. Spurs small. Puget Sound to Mexico. 



Chaeina bottae. 



Torteix bottae Blairwille, 1835, Nouv. Ann. du Mus. {Ill), 290, pi. 26, /. 1-16. 

 Chaeina bottae Gray, 1849, Cat. Snalces Brit. Mus., 113. 



Body moderately elongate, subcylindrical, slightly compressed, little fusi- 

 form ; • head small, rather indistinct ; tail short, thick, blunt. Eye small, 

 pupil vertical. Mouth cleft moderate, outline nearly straight. Snout 

 prominent, broad, rounded. Head-shields and number of scales on the 

 body varying greatly. Rostral broad. Prefrontals varying, usually two 

 pairs. Frontal broader than long. Parietals broad and short, or dis- 

 sected. Supraorbital short, broad. Nasal in two parts, nostril between; 

 the anterior portions are longer, and meet on the top of the snout, or are 

 subdivided to form a pair of internasals. One or more loreals. One or 



