AUSTRALIAN SNAKES. 
17 
FAMILY OF BLIND SNAKES — TYTHL OPIDJE. 
This family comprises those snakes which are known as Blind 
Worms; they have a cylindrical body, and a very short head and tail, the 
latter ending in a sharp point. The fore-part of the head is provided with 
large shields, covering the very rudimentary eye, which appears like a faint 
blue spot, and in some species is not visible at all. 
Blind Snakes burrow in search of their food, which consists chiefly 
of ants and their eggs and larvae. In excavating they are greatly assisted 
by their blunt heads, smooth scales, and short pointed tails. The posterior 
is generally larger than the anterior portion of their body. As far as 
can he ascertained, eight species of Australian Blind Snakes have been 
recorded, and descriptions and figures thereof published in works that are 
not all accessible to the author; it must therefore suffice to sim ply 
enumerate the various species, and add a few illustrations from the work 
of Professor Jan. 
. TlTPHXiOPS. 
Typhlops (sp. Schneider) Dim . § Bibr. 
Snout covered with large shields ; rostral large, rounded in front; 
prseocnlar shield present; nostrils laterally in front of the snout. 
Schleg-el’s Blind Snake. Typhlops polygra/mmicus. 
Typhlops polygrammicus, Schlegel, Abbild. unbeTc. Amph. 
This species was first discovered at Timor, but subsequently found 
also in New South Wales. All the scales are brown, bordered with yellow. 
Peters’ Blind Snake. Typhlops bituberculatus. 
Typhlops bituberculatus, Peters. Monatsber. ATcad. Wiss. Berlin. 
Professor Peters, of the Boyal Museum at Berlin, has given a 
description of this snake, which is said to inhabit South Australia. 
Gunther’s Blind Snake. Typhlops guntheri. 
Typhlops guntheri, Peters. Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1865, p. 259, fig. 1. 
The same author has given an account of this reptile, which belongs 
to North Australia; it was discovered by the late Mr. Elsey, who accom¬ 
panied Gregory’s Expedition as Surgeon and Naturalist. 
