170 Lacerfuhe. 



from lieliiiid tlie eye ami passing above the ear-opeuinsj, is lost ou the 

 side of the neck, sometimes reappearing as a small blue ocellus above 

 the shoulder ; the lower lateral, starting from the lower lip, is often 

 absent, or replaced bv a series of small blue spots ou the sides of the 

 belly. Some specimens are thus striated, with very small black spots 

 bordering the light streaks ; in others the streaks break up into longi- 

 tudinal series of spots and the black spots predominate, forming 

 longitudinal series, of which the vertebral is very conspicuous and 

 exceptionally confluent into a stripe, or the black spots may run 

 together to form cross-bars interrupted by the remains of the light 

 streaks. Finally, specimens occur which lack the markings altogether, 

 being uniform grey, brown, or olive above, and as they thus differ very 

 strikingly from the spotted or streaked individuals among which they 

 live, they have been regarded by some authors as a distinct species 

 (P. einereus, Bp.). Except in the uniformly coloured specimens, a 

 black line extends from the nostril to the eye, where it bifurcates, 

 the upper branch following the upper eyelid, the lower the subocular 

 shield. Limbs with round, white or yellowish spots. Lower parts 

 greyish white, or reddish. 



I have seriousl\' considered the advisability of dividing this species 

 into two forms, viz. the one from Central and Southern Spain and 

 Portugal, to which the name P. Iiis-paniens probably applies, and the 

 P. edwanhianvs (including P. cinereits) from France and Eastern 

 Spain. In the former the subocular nearly always borders the lip, 

 the scales round the body (ventrals included) number 30 to 84, there 

 are 9 to 12 femoral pores, and the foot is not moi-e than one-fourth 

 longer than the head, with 16 to 20 lamellae under the fouitli toe. 

 In the latter the subocular is usually separated from the oral 

 border, the scales are smaller, 34 to 42 round the body, the femoral 

 pores are usually more numerous, 10 to 15, and the foot is longer 

 {1~ to li times as long as the head), with more numerous lamella; 

 under the fourth toe (19 to 23). However, these characters 

 do not alway go hand in hand, as shown by the male from Seville 

 (Gadow) and the female from Algarve tabulated below; and the 

 two specimens from tiie Dehesa de Albufera, near Valencia, would 

 be referable to P. Insimniens and P. echvanhianus respectively. 

 I therefore do not deem it advisable, for the present at least, to 

 separate P. eihvardsianus as a variety or subspecies, although I have 

 felt tempted to do so; the status of the two forms is about the 

 same as in the vars. ^mtc''' ^Ji^ tanyHana of L. ocellafa. The typical 

 P. hispaniens is probably the original form, agreeing more closely 

 ■ with P. hlaiici. 



