Eremias. 245 



supraoculars l\y one, rarely two, series of small scales. Four nasals, 

 two upper and two lower ; anterior loreal as long as deep or a little 

 longer than deep, much shorter than the second ; 5 to 8 upper labials 

 anterior to the centre of tlie eye, the two or three first in contact with 

 the lower nasals ; subocular keeled below the eye, often narrowly 

 bordering tlie mouth,* sometimes resting on two or three upper labials. 

 A long and narrow upper temporal, followed by 2 or 3 small 

 shields ; temporal scales granular, smooth ; a narrow tympanic shield ; 

 no auricular denticulation. Lower eyelid opaque, covered with small 

 scales. 



4 pairs of chin-shields, rarely 5,t the 2 or 3 (rarely 4) anterior in 

 contact in the middle ; 22 to 33 gular scales in a straight line between 

 the symphysis of the chin-shields and the median collar-plate; no 

 gular fold. Collar curved, free, composed of 7 to 12 plates. 



Scales granular, juxtaposed, smooth or, rarely, feebly keeled, 61 to 

 78 across the middle of the body. Ventral plates in 6 or 8 longi- 

 tudinal and 24 to 29 transverse series, broader than long, the outer, 

 when 8 series are present, very narrow or nearly as broad as long. 

 Preanal plate sometimes large, broader than long, and bordered by a 

 semicircle of small plates, or as long as broad and entirely surrounded 

 with small plates ; occasionally two enlarged plates side by side, or 

 three forming a triangle, or preanals quite irregular. 



Upper surface of fore limb with large, smooth, hexagonal plates ; a 

 series of transversely enlarged plates under the forearm. Upper 

 surface of tibia with rhombic keeled scales of unequal size, much 

 larger than dorsals ; lower surface with one row of very large and one 

 of small plates. 15 to 23 femoral pores on each side.;]; 21 to 2G uui- 

 carinate lamellae under the fourth toe. 



Upper caudal scales oblique, truncate behind, strongly and diagonally 

 keeled ; lower caudal scales also keeled, except at the base of the tail, or 

 nearly smooth ; 16 to 26 scales in the fourth or fifth whorl. 



Young with five dai'k dorsal stripes separated by white streaks, the 

 vertebral stripe uniform black, the others brown or blackish speckled 

 with white; limbs blackish, with round white spots. These markings 

 sometimes persisting in adult females. Lower parts white. Adult 



* In 43 cases out of 94 (the two sides sometimes differing). As in E. spekii 

 one or the other type predominates in a district. Tlius the subocular borders 

 the month in most specimens from Somaliland, whilst it is the reverse in those 

 from the West Coast of the Red Sea. 



t In a specimen from Obok and in another from Durrur there are 4 shields 

 on one side and 5 on the other. 



t A male from Mandah is remarkable for having a pair of additional pores 

 in front of the point where the two series meet in the middle. 



