70 BULLETIN 151, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



and Mount Longido mentioned in the bibliograph}'', also with another 

 skink (M. C. Z. 18323) which I collected at Shaik Othmann, Arabia, 

 in 1919. 



The largest specimen measures 337 (147 + 190) mm., though the tip 

 of the tail is missing; apparently it is a female; a male has the throat 

 and sides of the head deep black; the sides of the head are flecked 

 with white, also resulting in a very striking appearance; otherwise all 

 are typically marked, none present the handsome vertical striping on 

 the sides which is so pronounced in the Kagiado and Longido skinks. 

 Both Anderson and Meek have interesting notes on these and other 

 color variations. 



In this series (still omitting the type of clianleri) the following 

 variations may be noted. The postnasal sometimes rests on the first 

 upper labial only; in three specimens the supranasals are separated 

 by the rostral being in contact with the frontonasal; the first supra- 

 ocular is sometimes narrowly separated from the frontal; the nuchals 

 are more or less distinctly keeled; in Nos. 49220 and 49223 the sub- 

 ocular is between the sixth and seventh upper labials though normal — 

 that is, between fifth and sixth — in the rest of the series; 1 to 3 ear 

 lobules; dorsals only bicarinate in No. 41976 though showing a tend- 

 ency to lose the middle keel in No. 40930; all the other skinks have 

 three keels; mid-body scale rows 31 to 38, Boulenger gives 30 to 32, 

 Anderson 32 to 34 for Arabian specimens; it should be noted, however, 

 that only one specimen (No. 40930) has 38; after carefully checking 

 and rechecking this count I could find no other differences between 

 this specimen and the rest of the series, which possess 31, 32, 32, 32, 

 and 34 scale rows. 



The most important variation noted is that the soles of the young 

 bear spinose scales whose spinosity decreases with age so that the 

 young do not fall into the right key in the Catalogue of Lizards; as a 

 result of this M. clianleri came to be described. It has been a particu- 

 lar pleasure to me to examine this series, for now that I have seen 

 these large examples I can say, speaking from memory, though 

 without any doubts, that the large skink in the Nairobi Museum 

 without locaUt}^ and identified by Boulenger in 1914 as Jio7nalocephala 

 is undoubtedly a hrevicollis. It is easy to see how the slip was made 

 if the key in the Catalogue of Lizards was relied on alone for if one 

 considers its "ear lobules long" instead of short it falls into the wrong 

 section of the key and naturally falls to homaloceplidla. I have only 

 recently seen specimens of homalocepJiala (M. C. Z. 24449-50) from 

 Zululand, and it is an entirety dift'erent skink from that so labeled in 

 the Nairobi Museum and reference to which has twice been made in 

 check Hsts that I have published. In removing it from the lists of 

 reptiles for the region under consideration we remove an anomaly in 

 distribution. 



