802 



SCIENTIFIC RECORD FOR 1885. 



line from pole to pole, forming the Old World and Australia on the one 

 hand, and America on the other, into primary divisions." The families 

 of lizards recognized by him are thrown into two great groups, — (A) 

 "small families having a narrow range," and (B) " large and much more 

 widely distributed families." Ten belong to one of these 'groups and 

 eight to the other, distributed as follows : 



A. UroplatidsB, Madagascar. 

 Pygopodidae, Australia. 

 X&noeauridae, Central America. 

 Zonuridae, South Africa and Madagas- 

 car. 



AnieUidae, California. 



Helerdermatidse, Mexico. 



Xantusiidse, California, Central Amer- 

 ica, and Cuba. 



Gerrhosauridae, Africa and Madagas- 

 car. 



Anelytropidae, Africa. 



Dibamidae, New Guinea. 



B. Agamidae. Most abundantly repre- 



sented in the East Indies, less so in 

 Australia, still less in Africa and 

 Asia north of the Himalayas; ab- 

 sent from Madagascar and New Zea- 

 land. 



Iguanidae. America. Two genera in 

 Madagascar, and another in the Fiji 

 Islands. 



Anguidae. The bulk of this family 



occupies Central America and the 

 West Indies, spreading to North and 

 South America. One genus {Anguis) 

 in Europe and the Mediterranean 

 district, another {Paeudopv^) repre- 

 sented by one species in the Medi- 

 terranean district and one in the 

 Khasia Hills. 



Varanidae. Africa (excluding Mada- 

 gascar), Oriential region to Asia 

 Minor, Australia. 



Teiidse. America. 



Amphisbaenidae. Tropical and sub- 

 tropical America (excluding Mada- 

 gascar), and the Mediterranean re- 

 gion. 



Lacertidae. Africa (excluding Mada- 

 gascar), Europe, Asia ; f«w in the 

 East Indies. 



Chamaeleontidae. Africa (most abun- 

 dant in Madagascar) ; one species, 

 identical with a North African, ex- 

 tending to India and Ceylon. 



As will be thus seen, the families enumerated are dispersed much in 

 the same way as the birds, and in accord with the geographical division 

 of the continents into the Old World and the New World, or, as they are 

 termed by Mr. Boulenger, the " palseogean and neogean realms." Ac- 

 cording to Mr. Boulenger, " the latter is characterized by the presence 

 of the Iguanidse, Teiidae, and abundance of Anguidae j the former by Aga- 

 midae, Varanidae, Lacertidse, and Chamaeleontidae. This division is the 

 more natural, as we find in both realms, within their respective fami- 

 lies, a repetition of the same forms having adapted themselves to similar 

 conditions. Few more striking examples of j)arallel series of forms can 

 be found than the families Agamidae and Iguanidae, or the Lacertidae 

 and Teiidae. Such parallel series occur in aknost every division of the 

 animal kingdom ; among the Batrachia we have the Arcifera and the 

 Firmisternia ; among the Chelonia, the Cryptodira and the Pleurodira; 

 and there can be no doubt that the indications furnished by the range 

 of. such analogous large groups are of the greatest importance in tracing 

 the relationships of the faunas of the various parts of the world." 



It also appears, on proceeding to further subdivision, that "the 

 Ethio[)ian and Orientul or Iinlian regions, which iu their Batrachians 

 are so closely related, have little in common as regards lizards ; whilst, 



