24 LACERTID.E. 



This opinion is also corroborated by the short description 

 given by Otho Frederick Muller, in his " Prodromus Zoo- 

 logise Danicse,"" of two varieties of the indigenous Lacerta of 

 Denmark, which he also terms L. agilis. The following are 

 his words : — " b. supra maculis nigris punctis linearibus [al- 

 bis*] inscriptis, subtus absque maculis. c. Supra cinereo- 

 fusca, punctis albis nigrisque contiguis."*"* These are very 

 accurate descriptions of the markings of different individuals 

 of the present species ; even the green variety, which occurs 

 also in this country, was not unknown to Muller, who adds, 

 " viridem quoque in sylva Frederichsdalensi reperi.'"* 



From these considerations it becomes necessary to reform 

 the nomenclature and synonymy of our English Lizards, by 

 restoring the name of agilis to the present species, to which 

 it originally belonged, — by abolishing altogether that of 

 stirpium^ adopted by Mr. Jenyns from the French writers, 

 by whom it had been applied to this species, — and in the 

 case of the other and more common indigenous species, by 

 substituting for the name L. agilis, hitherto applied, that of 

 Zootoca vivipara, which really belongs to it. The first na- 

 turalist who has demonstrated that the species now under 

 consideration is the true Linnean agilis, is the Prince of 

 Musignano, who, in his beautiful " Fauna Italica," has thus 

 restored its true name, with the additional Italian appellation 

 of Lacerta di Linneo. I have lately examined many speci- 

 mens of both species in company with that distinguished 

 naturalist, and have thus had the views now stated amply con- 

 firmed. 



As a British species, there appear to be on record several 

 more or less obscure allusions to it amongst former writers. 

 Merrett, in his " Pinax,"*^ mentions the common or vivipa- 

 rous species as " L. terrestris vulg. ventre nigro maculato ,'*" 



* The word here is originally "nigris ;" but this is evidently a misprint. 

 Spots of black could not be said to be marked with black dots. 



