ELGARIA FORMOSA. 207 



plates, border ridge-like, the an tero-inferior riiii of the orbit; the pos- 

 terior, which is the longest, is situated beneath the pupil ; the ante- 

 rior one is the broadest, and is contiguous to the loral and the anterior 

 supraciliary. The supraciliary ridge is composed of five plates, gradu- 

 ally diminishing in size posteriorly. The supraocular plates consti- 

 tute two series : an internal, subcrescentic, composed of five rather 

 large plates, the anterior of w^hich being contiguous sideways to the 

 postfrontal and anterior supraciliary, and, by its anterior angle, to the 

 loral, whilst posteriorly it comes into contact with the temporal shields 

 and occipital plates ; the second series of supraoculars occupies the 

 concavity of the first series, being lined exteriorly by the supraciliary 

 ridge. The surface of the eyelid is covered with small, subquadran- 

 gular, flat, and pavement-like plates, whilst upon their edge they as- 

 sume the appearance of a series of minute granules or beads. The 

 temporal shields have pretty nearly the size and shape of the scales of 

 the neck, and are provided with rudimentary keels. There are eight 

 upper labials from the rostral to the posterior edge of the orbit. The 

 inferior labials are disposed upon two series : an upper one, composed 

 of six narrow plates, narrowest and longest posteriorly, whilst in the 

 inferior series, which contains but five plates, the latter increase in size 

 backwards. The symphyseal plate is smaller than the rostral. The 

 anterior pair of mental shields is very small ; the three next pairs are 

 well developed ; the third and fourth being the largest, and nearly 

 equal. 



The neck is slightly contracted, and about two-thirds the length of 

 the head. The body is elongated, subcylindrical, thickest upon its 

 middle region. There are forty -eight transverse series of scales from 

 the occiput to the origin of the tail, nine of which belonging to the 

 neck proper. The scales themseU^es are imbricated, strongly carinated^ 

 subtetragonal in shape ; the middle row along the back being narrower 

 anteriorly than posteriorly (fig. 15) ; they constitute likewise sixteen 

 longitudinal series across the line of greatest thickness of the body. 

 The keels of the dorsal region are more developed than on the 

 sides, and constitute eight continuous ridges from head to tail. The 

 granular lateral area or zone is about an eighth of an inch wide on 

 the middle of the abdomen, widening forwards. From the middle of 

 the abdomen posteriorly, the granules, in becoming larger, assume the 

 shape of very small plates or scales. The abdominal scutellae are thin 

 and smooth, broader than long on the middle of the abdomen (fig. 17) ; 



