Reptiles and birds : a popular account of their various orders, with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting

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Identifier: reptilesbirds00figu (find matches)
Title: Reptiles and birds : a popular account of their various orders, with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting
Year: 1883 (1880s)
Authors: Figuier, Louis, 1819-1894 Gillmore, Parker
Subjects: Reptiles Birds
Publisher: London : Cassell & Co.
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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ils placed in the frontedge of a small shield, in a notch at the hinder side of the rostralplate, which latter is rather large and square. The eyes are dis-tinct, the lower eyelid scaly, or with a transparent disc; bodyfusiform or sub-cylindrical, elongate. These reptiles burrow in drysand, and are peculiar to the anciently-known continents and certainislands. Some have a wedge-shaped head, with prominent rostralplate. Of these the genus Sp/ienops has more developed limbs. SEPSID.-E. 95 each dividing into four toes, and the only species, S. seJ>soides,inhabits Egypt and other parts of North Africa. Sphenocephalushas a more slender and elongate shape, and the limbs are placedmore distantly apart; the anterior minute, and fitting into agroove, the posterior as large as in Sp/iaiops, and each of themhaving but three toes, of which the innermost and next are sub-equal, and the outer much shorter. The only known species,S. tridadyliis (Fig. 24), is common in Afghanistan. In Scelotes the
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Seps tridactylus. anterior limbs disappear altogether; and the ony known species,*S. hipes^ inhabits South Africa. Other genera have a pyramidalhead, with the rostral plate erect, and rounded in front. Such arethe five following, each founded on a single species :—Gongylusocei/atus, from North Africa and the borders of the Mediterranean;T/iyrus Bojeri, from the Mauritius ; Amphiglossiis astrolabi, fromMadagascar; Seps iridadyhis from the south of Europe and northof Africa; and Heteromeles inauritanicus, from North Africa. Thelast has only two toes to the fore-feet, three to the hind; andSeps has three toes to each foot, while the other three generahave five to each foot. In general these animals are found in dryand elevated spots, where they hide themselves in the sand orunder stones. g6 REPTILES AND BIRDS. The ScmcidcB have the head covered with shields, which aresymmetrically arranged. Tongue slender, free, exsertile, termi-nating in two pointed lobes. Scales on the back rounded,

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