86 BARBOUK — REPTILES FROM SINAI AND SYRIA [^vi^.V^' 



Eumeces schneideri syriacus (Boettger). 



Dr. Phillips met with this beautiful species at but one locality, 

 Petra. Here a large series, of all ages, was secured. They were 

 found in the rough, rocky country; and almost all were taken by 

 Mr. Mann, beneath stones and debris. None were seen prowling 

 about in the open. They were extremely shy and active, when 

 surprised. 



This subspecific name is used for the individuals from the Pales- 

 tine region, which have fewer rows of scales (usually 24 or 25) about 

 their bodies than those from Morocco or Algeria. Boettger founded 

 the race on this character. (Abh. Senck. N. Ges., XIII, 1883, p. 

 120). Our series is like Boettger 's in having similarly few scale 

 rows. The color of the adults, in life, was a beautiful rich bronzy 

 olive, with scattered spots, on the dorsal scales, of the color of 

 burnished copper, and a light lateral stripe of lemon-yellow or 

 salmon-pink on the lower portion of the sides, and below brilliant 

 glistening white, sometimes with a light greenish tinge. The 

 young individuals are very differently colored. The mid-dorsal 

 area, comprising just the two rows of broad scales, is entirely 

 unspotted. On each side of this region there are two narrow 

 dark lines, and then a wide dusky lateral band from the neck 

 region to the groin. This is spotted with white scales. The 

 lower regions of the sides, pure white in the adults, are mottled 

 with dusky spots. 



Chalcides ocellatus (Forskal). 



This extremely widespread seine was met with abundantly at 

 two localities : first at Akaba, where most of them were brought in 

 by natives, who found them generally beneath stones, although 

 they were sometimes to be seen in open ground, and then again at 

 Petra, where a number of others were secured. The Museum has a 

 fine lot of recently gathered material of this species from Sicily, 

 Algeria, Nubia, Egypt, Persia, Abyssinia, southern Arabia, and the 

 Anglo-Eg;yT)tian Soudan; and a careful examination of all of these 

 has failed to reveal any characteristics whereby the specimens from 



