OF THE GENUS PHILOCHORTUS. 



155 



its length 4-|- to 5 times in length to vent ; snout pointed, as 

 long as postocular part of head, with rather sharp canthus. 

 Pileus 1| to 2 times as long as broad. Neck as broad as the 

 head or a little narrower. Hind limb reaching the shoulder, 

 the collar, or between the collar and the ear ; foot If to | times 

 as long as head ; toes slender, compressed, Tail 2| to 3| times as 

 long as head and body. 



Nostril between three shields, or separated from the upper 

 labial and the postnasal by a narrow rim ; nasals forming a 

 suture behind the rostral, the suture | to -| the length of the 

 frontonasal, which is much broader than long and broader than 

 the internarial space ; prefrontals forming a short median suture ; 

 frontal as long as its distance from the end of the snout or a little 

 shorter, 1^ to 1| times as. long as broad, angular or rounded in 

 front, narrower behind, distinctly grooved ; parietals 1^ to 1^ 

 times as long as broad, in contact with the upper postocular ; 

 interparietal extremely narrow, in contact with or narrowly 

 separated from the very small occipital *. Two large supra- 

 oculars, subequal or anterior the shorter, entirely surrounded 

 by a series of granules t, of which larger ones represent the 

 first and. fourth supraoculars; 5 or 6 superciliaries. Lower 

 eyelid somewhat transparent, with feebly enlarged scales in the 

 middle, some of which may be deeper than the others. Rostral 

 not entering the nostril ; a single postnasal ; anterior loreal 

 shorter than second ; 5 upper labials anterior to the subocular, 

 which is narrower beneath than above. A long narrow upper 

 temporal, followed by a shorter shield : temporal scales very 

 small and granular above, much larger beneath; a small curved 

 tympanic shield usually present. 



4 pairs of chin-shields, first three in contact in the middle ; 25 

 to 28 gular scales in a straight line in the middle, granular in 

 front, gradually or abruptly enlarged, and imbricate towards 

 the collar ; no gular fold. Collar with strongly serrated edge, 

 composed of 7 or 8 plates. 



Scales granular and smooth behind the occiput, rhombic, sub- 

 imbricate, and keeled on the body ; 4 or 6 series of hexagonal 

 strongly keeled plates along the back, 8 between the hind limbs. 

 24 to 28 X plates and scales across the middle of the body. 

 Ventral plates in 6 longitudinal and 27 to 30 transverse series, 

 the border of the transverse series feebly notched between the 

 plates, the median pair of which is narrower than the others. 

 Prseanal plates small and irregular, or one enlarged. 



11 to 13 femoral pores on each side. 25 to 31 lamellar scales 

 under the fourth toe. 



Caudal scales in nearly equal whorls, upper oblique, strongly 



* A small shield between the interparietal and the occipital in one young 

 specimen. 



f In one of the two type-specimens described by Steindachner, the circle of granules 

 is incomplete, the supraoculars being in contact with the frontal. 

 X 30 in the type of Eremias heterolejpis, according to Boettger. 



11* 



