LACERTA MURALIS, 189 



are present in rare instances. In the centre of the temporal 

 region is a large circular plate, along the upper margin of 

 which are four or five small obscurely four-sided plates ; the 

 rest of the temple with granular, oval, or subhexagonal 

 plates; the length of the legs in proportion to that of the head 

 or body varies in different individuals ; the tail is as long 

 again as the rest of the animal ; the lower eyelid is scaly ; 

 the collar is composed of from nine to eleven plates, the 

 edges of which are straight, and not notched as in L. stir- 

 pium, viridis, and ocellata ; the neck and back are covered 

 with granular, convex, round scales ; those on the sides 

 are similar, but perhaps rather less convex ; a line drawn 

 across the back, from edge to edge of the belly, contains 

 sixty scales ; the ventral plates are in six rows ; pores 

 from fifteen to twenty on each thigh ; the scales of the 

 tail are long, narrow, and with a small blunt point behind. 

 The colouring of this Lizard is so variable, that it has been 

 found necessary by the authors of the ' Erpetologie Ge- 

 nerale' to make the following divisions : — 



Yar. 1. — The upper parts olive-grey, sometimes waved 

 with a lighter tint, a streak of which latter colour runs 

 from the head to the thigh on each side ; the upper part of 

 the sides is marked with whitish spots on a brown ground ; 

 parts beneath yellowish white. Found in Sicily. 



Yar. 2. — Head above olive ; back grejish green, some- 

 times gilt, with a white streak on each side between two 

 rows of black spots ; sides gilt, or with a copper tinge, 

 sometimes with a white line with black points on each 

 side of it ; the upper parts of legs and tail the same colour 

 as the back, or nearly so ; all the under parts either white 

 or tinged with reddish. Found in the kingdom of Naples, 

 Dalmatia, and Teneriffe. 



Yar. 3. — The upper part of the head irregularly spotted 

 with black on a tawny olive ground ; back grey or reddish 



