190 



MAJOR F. WALL, I.M.S., O.M.Z.S. 



I have examined three specimens only, all in the British Museum. 



Description. Rostral, touches four shields. Nasals, — -touch the first and 

 second supralabials (the first only in one specimen on the right side). Supralabials, 

 — eight or nine, the anterior five or six are well developed, the rest divided ; the fifth 

 only touches the eye in one example. The other head, and chin shields are all 

 broken up, and irregular. Costals, — anteriorly 19, midbody 19, posteriorly 17; 

 the reduction from 19 to 17 is due to the fusion of the third and fourth rows above 

 the ventrals ; smooth or indistinctly keeled. Ventrals, — 156 to 166, three or more 

 times as broad as the last costal row. Colour, — brown, or yellowish with irregular 

 dorsal bars of brown spots. 



Habitat —New Guinea, and Australia 



Aipysurus l^vis (Lacepede). 



Aipysurus laevis, Laccp. in Ann. Mas., iv, 1804, pp. 197, 210 and pi. lvi, fig. 3 



,, ,, Giinther, Rept. Brit. Ind., 1864, p. 358. 



Hypotropis jukesii, Gray in Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 1846, p. 284. 

 Aipysurus fuliginosus, Jan, Icon. Gen, 1872, livr. 40, pi. i, fig. 3. 



A C 



Fig. 7. — Aipysurus Icevis (fuliginosus). After Jan, Icon. Gen., 1872, livr. 40, pi. i, fig. 3. 



I had insufficient time to bestow upon the specimens available in the British 

 Museum, but the constancy of the scales in individuals of the species of this genus, 

 and its closest allies (Emydocephalus and Platurus), is so remarkable that I think the 

 range given by Boulenger, viz., 21 to 25, makes it likely that more than one form 

 is embraced within his conception of the species. The only four specimens 

 referred by Giinther to this species had the costals in 21 rows. Under the circum- 

 stances I have no course other than to accept Mr. Boulenger' s views. 



Description. Rostral, — touches four shields, the portion visible above half, or 

 less than half the internasal suture. Prsef rontals , — very variable, sometimes a 

 single row of four, sometimes a double row of three or four ; the outer not in contact with 

 any supralabial. Frontal, — entire or broken up. Supr aoculars, — divided into two. 

 Parietals, broken up. Nasals, -touch no supralabial. Praeocular, — one, two 

 or three. Postoculars, — two or three. Temporals, three or four. Suprala- 

 bial s, — 7 to 10 ; very variable ; some or all transversely divided ; the fourth, fifth and 

 sixth , or fifth and sixth , would touch the eye if not divided . Infralabials, the fourth 

 is the largest of the series, and in contact with three scales behind. Marginals, — 



