o 



Barbow — Reptiles and Amphibians from Eastern Sudan. 1 17 



than others which were brought back from British East Africa l>y the 



Smith Allen and Brooks, and the Frick expeditions, which were accom- 

 panied respectively bj l>r. Allen and Mr. \V. R. Zappey. These speci- 

 mens are pale brown with lighter lines and had bluish or mauve marblings 



r ocelli apon the sides between distinct vertical black liars. 'Idle speci- 

 men from Singa is dark brown, with line longitudinal light lines upon 

 the hack, a series of white spots along the sides with black interspaces, 

 forming irregularly vertical bars, and with bluish spots on a black band 

 above the series of whitespots. The legs are dark, almost, black, marbled 

 with bluish. In all characters of squamation, however, the individuals 

 seem to he entirely indistinguishable; and with only a single Sudanese 

 specimen, it is quite impossible to say whether a local color variety exists 

 in the region. There can lie no doubt but that the coloration is sufficient 

 to characterize one were it found to lie constant. 



Chalcides ocellatus Forskal. 



A single beautifully colored adult, caught at Bados. 



Mabuya quinquetaeniata ( Lichtenstein). 



This wide-ranging and common species was found at almost all locali- 

 ties visited, and typical examples of both young and adults were secured. 

 The brilliant blue tail of the young is very striking, recalling that of 

 certain American species of Eumeces and East Indian species of what may 

 be called for convenience Lygosoma. This blue tail-color is probably 

 an ancient ancestral character, since it can certainly have no protective 

 or other value to the young which it would not have equally for the adult. 

 It is probably comparable in a way to the breast spotting seen in the 

 young of various thrushes not very closely related to each other, and to 

 other similar astonishingly well-fixed color characters which are so differ- 

 ent from those one is accustomed to find among species of reptiles 

 especially. Frequently the variability of coloration in some familiar 

 species is inclined to lead one away from realizing what a fundamental 

 phylogenetic significance some color characters have even in reptiles. 



RlIIPTOGLOSSA. 



Chamaeleo basiliscus Cope. 



This species was found only once, when, at Magangani, a single speci- 

 men was procured. This specimen, which is an adult, I have compared 

 carefully with the type of basiliscus, M. C. Z. Xo. 5766 from Xubia. I 

 find that they agree in every particular. 



--i:kpextes. 



Zamenis florulentus (Geoffroy). 



A single example from Gebel Okalma. It is slightly atypical in having 

 23 instead of 21 rows of scales. Boulenger states that this is a rare 

 condition. 



