132 Lacerluhv. 



but also iu the shape aud arrant;'eraeut of the head-shields, especially 

 those suiTounding- the nostril, and the occasional separation of the 

 fourth supraocular from the frontoparietal.* aud of the ventral shields. 

 As the scaling of the back aud the coloration may well be derived from 

 the condition iu L. vivipara, I have little doubt that the genus Tacliy- 

 droirms is to be regarded as directly descended from an oriental species 

 of Lacerta connected with L. vivqxira. 



■1. TACHYDEOMUS TACHYDEOMOIDES. 



Lacetia tacliydrdmoides, Schleg. Faun. Japon., Eept. p. It'l, jil. i. 

 figs. 5-7 (1838). 



Tachydromvs jiqiotiicii>i,'Dum. & Bilir. Erp. Gi'n. v, y>. 161 (1889) ; 

 Giinth. Eept. Brit. Ind. p. 69 (1864) ; Hilgeud. Sitzb. Ges. Nat. Fr. 

 Berl. 1880, p. 112. 



2'achysai(riisjcq)onicus, Gray, Cat. Liz. p. 52 (1845). 



Tachydroinus tachydromaidess, part., Bouleug. Cat. Liz. iii, p. 5 

 (1887). 



Tachydromtis tachydroinotdes. Giinth. Ann. it Mag. N. H. (6) i, 1888, 

 p. 169; Stejueger, Herp. Japan, p. 247. lig. (1907); Bouleug. Mem. 

 As. Soc. Beug. v, 1917, p. 212. 



Tachydromug Jwhti, Bouleug. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1894, p. 733, pi. xlix, 

 tig. 1. 



Body feebly depressed. Head li to If times as long as broad, its 

 depth equal to the distance between the anterior corner of the eye and 

 the tympanum, its length 3| to 4 times in length to vent in males, 4 

 to 4^ times iu females ; snout pointed, with strong canthus and nearly 

 vertical loreal region, as loug as the postocular part of the head. 

 Pileus 14 to 2 times as long as broad. Neck as bi-oad as the head. 

 The hind limb reaches the axil, the shoulder, or the collar in males, the 

 wrist, the elbow, or the axil in females ; foot 1 to If times as long as 

 the head. Tail 2 to3i times the length of head and body (If times 

 in the very young). 



Nostril pierced between three shields. Eostral not entering the 

 nostril, nearly always in contact with the f routouasal,t usually broadly ; 

 frontonasal as long as broad or slightly broader, as broad as the 

 internarial space or a little liroader ; prefrontals forming a median 



* A cliar.acter wliicli has liecoiiie fi.\ed in T. se:rlineatus, at tlie othei- end of 

 the series. 



t Two exceptions, male from Koshikn and female from Koyosun, iu whicli 

 the nasals meet liehind the rostr.al. 



