318 



REPTILES. 



[Chap. IX. 



viscous fluid, resembling that of snails, eels, and some 

 salamanders. Specimens are rare in Europe owing to 

 the readiness with which it decomposes, breaking down 

 into a flaky mass in the spirits in which it is attempted 

 to preserve it. 



The creature is about the length and thickness of an 

 ordinary round desk ruler, a little flattened before and 

 rounded behind. It is brownish, with a pale stripe 

 along either side. The skin is furrowed into 350 circu- 

 lar folds, in which are imbedded minute scales. The 

 head is tolerably distinct, with a double row of fine 

 curved teeth for seizing the insects and worms on which 

 it is supposed to live. 



Naturalists are most desirous that the habits and me- 

 tamorphoses of this creature should be carefully ascer- 

 tained, for great doubts have been entertained as to the 

 position it is entitled to occupy in the chain of creation. 



Batrachians. — In the numerous marshes formed by 

 the overflowing of the rivers in the plains of the low 

 country, there are many varieties of frogs, which, both 

 by their colours and by their extraordinary size, are cal- 

 culated to excite the surprise of a stranger. In the 

 lakes around Colombo and the still water near Trin- 

 comalie, there are huge creatures of this family, from 

 six to eight inches in length *, of an olive hue, deepen- 

 ing into brown on the back and yellow on the under 

 side. A Kandyan species, recently described, is of much 

 smaller dimensions, but distinguished by its brilliant 

 colouring, a beautiful grass green above and deep orange 

 underneath. 2 



1 A Singhalese variety of the busta, proves to be a Ceylon spe- 

 Rana cutipora ? and the Malabar cimen of the R. cutipora. 

 bull-frog, Hylarana Malabarica. A 2 R. Kandiana, Kelaart. 

 frog named by Blyth Rana to- 



