46 Lacertklee. 



variations iu the arrangement of the spots that may be met with in 

 specimens from the same locality. In males and young the upper 

 surface of the head is usually unspotted or with darker dots or 

 in*efularly arranged spots ; in many females and in a few males there 

 are large symmetrical dark brown or black markings, which may form 

 a curved band on the inner border of the supraocular region, and a 

 dark upper temporal band may be well defined. The dark longitu- 

 dinal bands or series of spots are continued on the tail, the striation 

 or longitudinal arrangement being, however, absent w^hen it has dis- 

 appeared from the body.* 



Males, at least in spring and early summer, are yellowish green or 

 grass-green, rarely yellow, on the sides of the head and body, very 

 rarely on the Avhole body with or without the exception of the median 

 dorsal band, which, according to Norman Douglass, may be brick-red 

 instead of brown. Females are grey or brown above, Avith the darker 

 markings varying from reddish brown to dark brown or black ; in rare 

 cases the sides assume the green colour of the males. The lower parts, 

 including the base of the tail, are green or greenish white in males, 

 nearly always dotted with black or with black vermiculations or 

 mai'kings suggestive of arable characters, t cream-colour or pale yellow 

 in females, often immaculate, sometimes Avith black dots all over or 

 restricted to the sides. 



A remarkable variation, which affects male as well as female specimens 

 occurring promiscuously Avith the more normal type in France, 

 Oermany, Austria and the Cai-pathiaus of Eoumania, is that known as 

 var. rubra or erythronotus. The back is unspotted, reddish brown to 

 brick-red in the adult, the sides being coloured and marked as usual ; 

 the voung is very similar to L. vlrldis, var. schreiberi. In very rare 

 cases there are no spots at all on the body, Avhich retains the three 

 dark dorsal bands (var. immaculata, Diirigen). Entirely or nearly 

 entirely black specimens haA'-e been described (var. atra, F. Mull., vars. 

 nigricans, melanota, Diirigen). 



We thus see the evolution of colour-variations to proceed in several 

 directions. Firstly, the light striation, Avhich is so well defined on the 

 dorsal side of the young of the var. exigua, tends to disappear, to be 

 replaced by ocelli, Avhich without losing the serial arrangement of the 



* Foi" the reason that the vertebral light streak is never continued beyond 

 the base of the tail (see above, p. 35), the median dorsal dark spots, however 

 Avell they may be developed, are invariably devoid of the Avhite central eye 

 Avhich may accompany each spot on the body. 



t I have come across only one case of a male Avith scarcely any spots on the 

 lower parts ; it Avas obtained at Southport by Mr. O. Grieg. 



