82 BARBOUR — REPTILES FROM SINAI AND SYRIA [^VoL" V^* 



race. Distinguished at once from P. I. lobatus by habit, coloration, and by 

 the larger, coarser granules upon the frontal and nasal regions. Four 

 other specimens from Hibbariyeh, Syria, also near Mount Hermon, are 

 absolutely identical in every respect. The type of coloration is not ap- 

 proached by a single one in the large series from Egypt and Sinai, and it is 

 entirely unlike those from Algeria. Thus these color characteristics seem 

 to be fixed and permanent, unlike those in many geckos, and to be of 

 excellent diagnostic value. The Hermon specimens are all a rich vandyke 

 brown with irregular transverse series of round black spots upon the neck, 

 body and tail. Between and about these black spots are large numbers of 

 smaller round white spots, which vary considerably in size and shape. 



This race is not represented in the collection by specimens from 

 elsewhere than Mount Hermon. The examples from Ain Musa 

 (Dead Sea), however, are much more short-limbed and more heavily 

 built than those from Egypt and Sinai, but nevertheless are colored 

 exactly like the Egyptian specimens, so that they are intermediate 

 between the two races, as one would expect them to be from the 

 locality whence they came. Were it not for this intergrading, we 

 should consider all of these races perfectly distinct species. 



The lizards were taken running about on rocks, usually on the 

 shady side of large boulders, or in crevices or small dark caverns. 

 Those from Hibbariyeh were taken in the Roman ruins, while 

 those from Ain Musa were all taken from one large and very damp 

 cave. 



Hemidactylus turcious (Linne). 



Taken once at Petra, and seven times at Akaba. Curiously 

 enough none of these specimens seem referable to H. sinaitus 

 Boulenger, which may be entirely confined to the highlands of 

 Mount Sinai itself. Unfortunately, Dr. Phillips did not happen 

 to meet with that little-known species. 



Agama sinaita Heyden. 



Two specimens of this species, so characteristic of the region, 

 were taken at the Monastery of St. Catherine, on Mount Sinai 



