OCR Text |
Show 4WEOTIX €*- B3PTILM. 8$ 7 sen ted in a state'of too' great expansion. The head is ovoidal, . depressed, subconoave above. The occipital plate is heptagohal, broad, and linear posteriorly, pointed and very acute anteriorly. It is surrounded by twelve smaller plates, six of which, very small, line the posterior edge^ while the other six. are distributed - on the remaining circumference, three to' the right and three to the left. There are two vertical plates, the anterior one the largest and pentagonal. In advance of the latter, seven or eight polygonal frontal plates form a conspicuous group, while near the extremity of the' snout the plates ai* e as minute as the scales on the neck. The plates Which line the margin of the jaws are small, narrow, . elongated, and inconspicuous. On the chin there are three pairs cotopa-ratively larger and conspicuous. The ecale& on the back are spade-shaped and strongly carinated from the neck to the. tip of the. taiL On the latter region they are* a little more- acute. posteriorly and verticillated. On the sides of the abdomen they are smaller, and their outline less regular. . The abdominal scales are smooth, irregularly lozenge- shaped, Mdentated posteriorly as in &. tdalari*. The opening of the ear is subtriangular, protected by several projecting scales arising from its anterior edge. The toes and nails are very slender; the latter are proportionally long and slightly curved; When the fore legs are stretched backward, the tip of their- toes will reach to the knees of the hind ones wben the latter are brought forwards. , ^ The brilliancy of the general hue hating disappeared by immer* sion in alcohol of the specimens collected, we are notf prepared to describe this accurately. As to the markings, they differ somewhat from those of'& Mcalari*. > The row'of the large crescont spots along the batek is more compact, and not so distinctly bordered with white.' The yellowish band that runs from behind the eyes backward to the middle of the tail is much broader; and besides* there is a second similar band extending from below the snout, and passing under the eye and above the auditory aperture, to the insertion of the hind locomotive limbs; the sides, therefore, are not ornamented with vertical, slightly undulating dark striped; the irregular patches that arq seen on that region are entirely deprived of any white margin. The abdomen in the male is blue indigo, as in most species of the same genus. The neck and throat are uni-eolor in both sexes. ' • This species inhabits the valley of the Great Salt Lake, where it was collected by Captain Stansbury and Lieutenant Gnnniaon. |