THE SAND LIZARD, LACERTA AGILIS 57 



it never existed, on the authority of more or less 

 incompetent naturalists. Thus Mr. Forrest was led 

 to include the species in the Vertebrate Fauna of 

 Shropshire, not from his own observation, but on the 

 authority of others who asserted they had seen it. 

 After this otherwise excellent book was published, 

 Mr. Forrest, having his doubts raised as to the 

 accuracy of these observations, conferred with G. A. 

 Boulenger upon the matter, and in a letter to myself 

 on the matter, he says, " as a result of this conference 

 I have come to the conclusion that all these observers 

 were mistaken, and that all the lizards in Shropshire 

 which were said to be sand lizards belonged to the 

 L. vivipara species." No doubt this is really the case. 

 Personally, I have had the sand lizard reported to me 

 from Scotland (Ayrshire), but I never could get the 

 specimen forwarded for inspection, so upon this record, 

 too, the gravest doubt must rest. 



The neighbourhood of Bournemouth has been one 

 of the districts where the sand lizard frequented ; and 

 F. G-. Aflalo says, " I have dug it up in this state (i.e. 

 in hibernation) near Bournemouth, where it is very 

 common." ^ 



The general statement may be made, therefore, that 

 the sand lizard is practically confined to those counties 

 south of the Thames, and is found particularly in 

 Surrey, Hampshire, and Dorset. 



Are there no reliable records of the occurrence of 

 ^ British Vertebrates, p. 302. 



