210 Dr. A. Giinther on Reptiles from St. Croix, West Indies, 



to our knowledge of the geographical distribution of reptiles 

 throughout the West India Islands, and contains two new 

 species. 



Messrs. Newton have kindly communicated to me their valu- 

 able notes, which constitute the portions included within inverted 

 commas (" "). 



We find a list of animals from St. Croix in Hans West^s 

 " Beytrage zur Beschreibung von St. Croix. Aus dem Da- 

 nischen.'^ Copenh. 1794-8. The author mentions the following 

 reptiles (p. 243) :— 



Testudo my das J v. Green Turtle. 



Testudo caretta, v. Caret or Lugger-head Turtle. 



Testudo grcBca, v. Land Turtle. Rare. 



Lacerta principalis (L.), v. Lizard. By this name, now applied 

 to a North American species of Anolis, West designates the 

 species which will be described hereafter. 



Lacerta iguana, v. Guana. 



Lacerta sputator, v. Slippery-back. This name is applied by 

 West to Mabouia cenea. 



Lacerta rapicauda, v. Wood-slave. 



Lacerta. Ground Lizard. 



No snake is mentioned by West. The following species are 

 in the collection of Messrs. Newton : — 



1. Dromicus antillensis, D. & B. (Psammophis antillensis, Schleg.). 



There are four specimens of this species in the Collection, all 

 showing exactly the same characters, although differing from a 

 specimen from St. Thomas. They, like the latter, have eight 

 upper labial shields, the third, fourth, and fifth of which come 

 into the orbit. One temporal is in contact with the postocular, 

 two others are behind the anterior temporal, and two or three 

 more scale-like shields cover the posterior portion of the tem- 

 poral region. Each scale is provided with two small pore-like 

 impressions near the tip ; they are of a lighter colour than the 

 remainder of the scale. The coloration and the number of scales, 

 however, is different : whilst the snake from St. Thomas has the 

 body and tail light reddish-brown above, with more or less con- 

 spicuous darker stripes, the inferior parts dull yellowish, marbled 

 with brown, and the scales in nineteen rows, the specimens from 

 St. Croix have the upper parts saturated blackish brown, with 

 equidistant reticulated yellowish transverse lines, the lower parts 

 either of a pure yellow or with scattered irregular brown spots, 

 and the scales in seventeen rows. There is a black streak through 

 the eye, and a longitudinal groove between the labial and tem- 

 poral shields, as in several species of Dromicus, Male and female 

 are alike. 



