STELLIO. 



369 



the neck, except those forming the nuchal crest. Scales of the sides 

 in transverse rows granular, with a minute apical spine and without 

 enlarged scales among them. 17 upper and 15 lower labials. 



Colour olive grey, speckled with darker, some scales paler. Throat 

 and below the shoulders beautifully marked with greyish black. 



Length. — 11 — 14 inches, of which the tail is 7' 7. 



Jlah. — ^Sind, Western Himalayas, Simla and Cashmere. A specimen 

 I have fi'om the north of Jacobabad has 10 enlarged scales in the 

 middle of the back, and, except on the vertebral line and on the tail, 

 the keel on the scales is indistinct ; length head and body 5 inches, 

 tail 12 inches=l7 inches; the rostral is three times as wide as high. 



Stellio nuptus, De. Fil. Gior. dell I. R. 1st Limh. vi. 1843; Blaiif. 

 East. Persia, pi. xix. fig. 1. p. 317. 



General form rather stout. Head and body depressed. Tail long, H 

 or twice the length of the head and body. Head rather flat, triangular, 

 broader in males than in females. The breadth of the ear orifices in 

 the former being equal to the length. The foi-e leg laid back extends 

 to the thigh ; in some specimens falls somewhat short of it ; hind limb 

 nearly reaches the ear when laid forward. Scales on upper surface 

 of the head mostly smooth, especially those of the supra-orbital and 

 occipital regions. On the snout the scales are bluntly keeled. Nostril o£ 

 moderate size, directed a Httle backwards, and situated on the canthus 

 rostralis, which is sharp just in front of the superciliary ridge, and 

 then appears interrupted by the nostril. Two or three scales between 

 the nasal shield and the rostral, and the same number between the 

 former and the upper labials. Rostral nearly twice as broad as it is 

 high, and twice the breadth of thesupra-labials. Mental (lower rostral) 

 same breadth as the rostral, but longer and pointed behind. Labials 

 very little larger than the adjoining scales, about 15 or more on each 

 side. Scales of the side of the head keeled, those near the upper 

 labials longitudinally elongate ; margins of the tympanum, sides, and 

 back of neck ornamented with groups of flattened spines, two on 

 each side of the neck, the posterior pair more widely separated than 

 the anterior ones. Round the tympanum are five almost equi-distant 

 groups, the largest bearing the longest spines, being just behind the 

 ear opening, and there are three or four much smaller groups in an 

 horizontal line under the ear, the hindmost of them being at the 

 extremity of the anterior throat-fold. Some of the scales on the throat 

 in old specimens have distinct spines. Scales of the occiput keeled; 

 of the back imbricate, equal in size, all keeled and terminated by small 

 points. Fifteen or sixteen (13-19) enlarged scales across the centre of 

 the back, arranged in slightly oblique lines convei'ging behind, separat- 

 ed at the sides from the small rhomboidal scales of the flanks. 

 Ventral scales also rhomboidal, larger than those of the sides, though 

 smaller than those of the back, and arranged in transverse and 

 oblique series. No enlarged or tubercular scales on the sides. Scalea 

 above the limbs and tail sharply keeled, terminating in points. 

 Scales above the shoulder are almost spines in some specimens. Scales 



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