NOTES ON AUSTRALIAN TYPHLOPIDiE. — WAITE. 
57 
contact along the ventral margin for half the length of the shell, 
the left valve slightly overlapping the right. Colour a uniform 
dull white. Epidermis pale straw colour, largely abraded, thin 
and very wrinkled. Sculpture about thirty concentric growth 
laminae in the interstices of which are two or three raised hair lines; 
anteriorly these laminae are puckered up into lines of square-headed 
thorns by transverse waves radiating from the beaks. Opposite 
the beaks the thorny ridges diminish for a few series and cease, 
posteriorly they are represented by faint wrinkles on the growth 
laminae. Beaks situated at a quarter of the length of the shell 
from the anterior extremity. Hinge margin narrow, sharply 
recurved, not appressed to the valve and destitute of such 
denticles as possessed by P. dactylus. Dorsal plate lanceolate, 
single, entire, striated by divaricating growth lines, with a 
shallow median furrow. Subumbonal process long, flat and 
curved. Length 40, height 20, breadth 16 mm. 
Attached to some specimens are pale brown, tough, coriaceous 
siphon sheaths. 
Type , — In the Australian Museum, Sydney. 
The specimens on which my description is based were collected 
by Mr. Brazier in a small outcrop of shale at Yaucluse Bay. 
That gentleman informs me that he also encountered the species 
at “ The Nobby s,” near Newcastle, and at the mouth of the 
Bellinger River, some examples attaining twice the dimensions of 
those now recorded. 
NOTES on AUSTRALIAN TYPHLOPIDsE . 
By Edgar R. Waite, F.L.S. 
1. Typhlops curtus, Ogilby, 
It is worthy of remark that no one in Australia has hitherto 
investigated the Typhlopidce of the continent : the reason probably 
lies in the fact that only a very small portion of this immense 
area can be said to be at all adequately known, and scientific 
workers have ample material of more attractive and better 
differentiated forms than characterise the Typhlopidce, Although 
of all snakes this group is admitted to be the most difficult of 
determination, some fifteen Australian species are known ; all 
these have, however, been described in Europe : by Gray and 
