1847.] Malayan Peninsula and Islands. 899 



Typhlops braminus, (Uaudin.) 



Syn. — L'Orvet lombric, Lacepede. 



Anguis. Rondoo Talooloo Pam. Russell, I. PI. 43, 

 Punctulated Slow-Worm, Shaw. 

 Evyx braminus, Daudin. 

 Typhlops rondoo talooloo, Cuvier. 

 Tortrix russelii, Merrem. 



f Cuvier. 

 Typhlops braminus, apud-j Fitzinger. 



L Gray in Griffith, A. K. 

 Typhlops russellii, Schlegel. 



Typhlops braminus, Cuvier, apud Dumeril and Bibron. 

 Argyrophis bramicus, Gray : Catal. 



Shining copper-coloured, or brown of various shades above, paler 

 beneath. Some individuals of a uniformly bluish white. All the 

 scales with a dark brown spot at the anterior part. The shields of the 

 head have a whitish line close to their margins. In the young the 

 latter is crenulated, and the sides of the head, lips, throat, the anal 

 region, and the point of the tail are yellowish or whitish, and the body 

 is semitransparent. 



Habit. — Pinang, Singapore, Malayan Peninsula. 



Canton -Province, Philippines, Guam (Marian Isles,) Java, 

 Tenasserim, Bengal, Assam, Coromandel, Ceylon, Malabar. 

 In the Malayan countries this species is numerous in hills and 



valleys. The eyes are black, the pupil round, which is also the case in 



T. nigro-albus. The largest of a great number examined was of the 



following dimensions : — 



Length of the head, Of inch. 



Ditto ditto trunk, 7| 



Ditto ditto tail, 0^ 



7f inch, 

 Circumference of the neck 4 inch ; of the tail I inch. 



The preceding species of this family are all of similar habits. They 

 mostly live under ground, but appear occasionally in shady places, 

 particularly after showers of rain, in Bengal, in the rainy season. They 

 are very agile, and appear to make use of the horny point of the tail 

 as a propeller. When taken, they frequently press it against the hand 

 in their attempts to escape. Reposing on the ground Typhlops bra* 



G A 



