Herpetologische Studien. 255 



Diese MittheiluDg finde ich neuerdings von Prof. 

 E. H. Giglioli bestätigt. In der Numjuer der „Nature" 

 vom 5. December 1878 heisst es: „In a communication 

 sent to you by my friend Mr. Wallace under the title 

 „remarkable Local colour-variation in Lizards" published 

 in Nature vol. XIX. p. 4 mention is made of the well known 

 case of Lacerta (Podarcis) muralis var. faraglioniensis, only 

 found on the outer Faraglione of Capri, but there are many 

 similar eases to my knowledge, and I add a note of them, 

 for the fact although unexplained, is one of great interest. 

 During the last two years, while engaged in forming a 

 complete series of the Italian vertebrate animals, I have 

 visited and explored most of the Mediterranean Islands 

 included the italian sub-region, and I have invariably found 

 that our common lizard (Podarcis muralis) constantly presents 

 dark varieties on islets adjoining small Islands, this is the 

 case on the Scuola near Pianosa, on the Sioglio di Mezo- 

 giorno off Palmarola (Ponza) on S. Stefano off Ventotene, 

 on the Toro off Vacca (Sardinia) on Lisca nera, Lisca 

 bianca and Bottaro off Panaria (Lippari) onFilfla off Malta 

 and on Linosa near Lampedusa. The extreme cases are 

 those of the Faraglione off Capri and Filfla, where a nearly 

 intense black is obtained; next comes Toro, and next Li- 

 nosa; only the latter case might be explained by the 

 „struggle for existence" theory, for the lava rocks of Linosa 

 are black, but such is certainly not the case with the 

 other islets, and pace Dr. Eimer, the Faraglione is gray, 

 while Filfla — on which I spent a pleasant day in Octo- 

 ber last — is plainfully white in the glaring Maltese sun, 

 so that its black lizards are most conspicuous. I may add 

 that few creatures I know, very more in colour than Po- 

 darcis muralis, even in the same locality ; two most distinct 

 varieties occur promiscuously on the small flat islet For- 

 mica di Grosseto." 



A. Leith Adam 's Angaben über diesen Gegenstand 

 stehen im strickten Widerspruche zu denen von Capt. Feil- 

 den und Prof. Giglioli und nähern sich jenen von Ei- 

 mer. In derselben Zeitschrift vom 21. November 1878 

 lesen wir unter Anderem folgendes: „Filfla is about 600 



