REPTILIA. 259 



smoother. The type has but seven upper and five lower labials to below the 

 posterior border of the orbit. In the series of paratypes eight upper and six 

 lower labials are found but this is evidently not the typical condition. The 

 ventral scales of the preanal region are larger than those of elsewhere, which 

 does not seem to be the case in ^4. praesignis. Lamellae under fourth toe 15 in 

 number in the type, which seems to be a constant character. 



The large size, shorter and less depressed snout, the lesser immber of labials, 

 finer dorsal granular scales and rather greater number of subdigital lamellae 

 serve to distinguish this from A. praesignis HalloweU. The smaller number of 

 subdigital lamellae and smaller size separate it at once from A. lar Cope. Its 

 very prominent palpebral spine separate it from A. georgeensis (Bocourt) from 

 St. George Island, and its small number of labials again serve to distinguish it 

 from A. irregularis Cope from Cozumel Island. These four are the only species 

 previously described. The genus is recorded from Belize by Boulenger (Cat. 

 lizards Brit, mus., 1885, 1, p. 147). 



The following field notes are important. Mr. Nelson states that the species 

 is extremely common on both Swan Islands. It is frequently heard croaking 

 at dusk both among the cocoanut palms, in the houses (on Swan Island), and 

 in the woods. On Little Swan Island the species occurs only in the jungle .since 

 this island is and always has been uninhabited and is without any cleared land. 

 The island (one and one half miles by one half mile in size) rises in sheer cliffs 

 from the ocean on all sides. There is no introduced vegetation and it is here 

 that the peculiar mammal Capromys thoracatus True is found abundantlJ^ 

 There is thus no reason whatever to suppose that this hzard has come to the 

 island fortuitouslj-. It is ninety-eight miles from the nearest point of the Hon- 

 dm-an coast and one hundred and thirty-five miles from the Cayman group. 



This species is named for Mr. George Nelson of the Museum staff, the first 

 to explore thoroughly these interesting islands. 



Tarentola cubana Gundlach & Peters. 



GuNDiiACH & Peters, Monatsb. Akad. wis.?. Borlin, 1864, p. 384. Boulenger, Cat, lizards Brit, mu.s., 

 1, 188.5, p. 195; 3, 1887, p. 490. 



This rare gekko is confined to Cuba. There are specimens in the Museum 

 which Major Wirt Robinson, U. S. .\., sent from Santiago; and the writer once 

 had a living specimen which came from Cienfuegos and which most unfortunately 

 was lost. Gundlach only found two specimens during his life in Cuba, one near 

 San Diego de los Banos, in the Sierra de Rangel, and the other at Cabo Cruz. 

 In February, 1913, 1 got a fine example under a stone at this same locaUty. 



