CAITIA AFRICANA. 
anteriorly ; freno-nasal plates small. Plates of the upper lip, exclusive of 
rostral, six, the third, under the eye, much the longest ; plates of lower lip, 
exclusive of mental, three, the first very small, the second much the longest. 
Mental plate large ; submental plates two pairs, the hinder pair the largest ; 
temporal plates four, disposed in two rows, the uppermost one of the hinder row 
much the largest, and forms the upper and anterior margin of the ear-opening. 
Nostrils small, circular, and formed by three plates, the first labial, the nasal, 
and the freno-nasal. Eyes rather large ; lower lid externally coated with 
numerous small scales ; the orbit, superiorly, margined with a row of narrow 
small plates ; two scales behind the eye, two above, and one in front, which 
reaches to the frenal plate. Ear-opening moderately large, subcircular, and 
situated directly behind and near to the angle of the mouth, and partially 
concealed by the cuticular fold ; the space between the opening and the 
angle of the mouth studded with small granular scales. Scales of body and 
tail subquadrangular, rather narrowest behind, and arranged in transverse 
rows ; each scale has a strong keel along its centre, and finer ones on each 
side, and the former are so arranged as to form several fine continuous ridges 
along both the body and the tail ; the rows of scales anteriorly are 12, pos- 
teriorly 14 ; the scales towards the belly are but faintly keeled. Abdomen 
with six rows of smooth quadrangular plates, the cuticular fold externally 
covered by the outermost row of each side. The scales of the under surface 
of the tail are like those of the upper, with the exception that they have no 
fine keels on the sides of the central one. Extremities rudimentary, un- 
divided, and laid close to the body, the anterior ones about an inch behind 
the external ear, immediately above the edge of the lateral fold, and are very 
short, slender, somewhat cylindrical and pointed ; the posterior ones are 
rather larger, compressed, pointed, and externally covered with scales, and 
each has two or three prominent pores on its hinder or inferior edge, towards 
its base. Length from the nose to the anus, 2 inches 9 lines ; from anus to 
point of tail, 9 inches 6 lines ; length of extremities, about a line and a half. 
The drawing represents the natural size of an adult specimen. 
Inhabits the eastern districts of the Cape Colony, and also the country towards Natal. 
It is found in situations where grass abounds, and it progresses through the latter with great 
rapidity, and after the manner of an ophidian reptile. 
