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Show 1892.] BATRACHIANS F R O M NYASSALAND. 557 Rh. kerstenii. Colour uuiform greyish ; anterior half of the black. One adult female specimen 2 inches long, without tail. RHAMPHOLEON BRACHYURUS. (Plate XXXIV. fig. 2.) Beside the additional cusp on each claw, neither the fingers nor the toes are provided with a spine. Body finely granular, with scattered, slightly enlarged tubercles. The interorbital space is rather deeply concave, without transverse series of tubercles; crown of the head compressed, with a raised line on each side, the two lines converging, and meeting at a very acute angle in the vertebral line, where they are lost. A raised line or fold of the skin crosses the temple and is continued along the middle of the side of the body to the root of the tail. Tail very short, not prehensile, shorter than the lower leg with the toes. Light yellowish, with a straight brownish band running along the middle of the side below the raised line; two other, narrower and less dark bands run parallel to the former, above and below it. Upper edge of the tail sharp and of a yellow colour. Total length 40 millim. Tail 6 „ Two female specimens, both young, the smaller only 28 millim. long. PSAMMOPHYLAX VARIABILIS. (Plate XXXV.) In general habit similar to Psammophylax rhombealus, but with the coloration of a Psammophis. Vertical shield rather elongate, with slightly concave lateral margins, longer than the two frontals together and as long as the occipital. Rostral reaching to the upper surface of the head ; loreal square; anteocular single, large, extending to the upper surface of the head, but not, or but barely, reaching the vertical. Two post-oculars. Two pairs of chin-shields, the anterior in contact with five lower labials. Eight upper labials, the fourth and fifth entering the orbit. Temporals small, generally one in front and in contact with both postoculars, the succeeding temporals rather irregularly disposed. Scales in 17 rows. Ventrals 157 or 169 ; anal bifid; subcaudals 57 or 55. Ground-colour an olive-brown; body with straight bands produced by a somewhat different shade of the ground-colour, and bordered by narrow black or white lines: one of these bands starts from the occiput and occupies the middle of the back, another from behind the eye and runs along the side of the body. The vertebral series of scales is black, each with a yellow central line; the fifth outer series of scales is likewise black, but the yellow line occupies the upper margin of each scale. A greenish-white line runs along the meeting edges of the two outermost series of scales. Upper part of the head uniform brown; upper labials greenish white j lower parts greenish. PROC. ZOOL. Soc-1892, No. XXXVIII. 38 |