Lacerta. 59 



? Kanaika K., Altai 



Habitat. — Soutli-easteru aud Central Russia in Europe east of the 

 Dnieper, Trauscavicasia and Armenia, Western Siberia and Central 

 Asia eastwards to the Yeuissei and the Altai and Tian Shan Mountains. 

 Ascends the Caucasus to the altitude of 2000 metres. 



The forms into which L. aciilis is divided may be thus defined : — 



Forma typica. — Usually 1 or 2 postnasals and 2 anterior loreals ; 

 suture between the nasals very short, rarely half the length of the 

 frontonasal, which is narrower than the internarial space (with rare 

 exceptions) ; 33 to 47 scales across the body, \isually 36 to 40 ; pre- 

 anal plate large, bordered by one, rarely by two semicircles of scales ; 

 8 to 17 femoral poi-es on each side, usually 11 to 14; light vertebral 

 streak never continvious in the adult. 



Var. spinalis, Werner. Usually 1 postnasal and 1 anterior loreal ; 

 suture between the nasals very short ; frontonasal narrower than the 

 internarial space; 32 to 35 scales across the body; preanal plate 

 large, bordered by one semicircle of scales; 11 to 13 femoral poi'es ; 

 a light vertebral streak usually present. 



Var. chersonensis, Andrz. 1 or 2 postnasals and 1 or 2 anterior 

 loreals ; suture between the nasals -^- to f the length of the fronto- 

 nasal, which is often as broad as the internarial space ; 38 to 46 scales 

 across the body, usually 40 to 43 ; preanal plate large, bordered by 

 one semicircle of scales ; 14 to 18 femoral pores, rarely 13 ; a light 

 vertebral sti*eak usiially absent in the adult. 



Var. exigua, Eichw. Usually 2 postnasals ; anterior loreals 1 or 2 

 or absent ; sutui-e between the nasals ^ to 4- the length of the fronto- 

 nasal, which is usually as broad as the internarial space ; 34 to 52 

 scales across the body, usually 40 to 49 ; preanal plate usually rather 

 small, bordered by two semicircles of scales, one or two of which, 

 in front of the plate, are often much enlarged and plate-like ; 10 to 20 

 femoral pores, usually 13 to 16 ; a light vertebral streak usually 

 present. 



I should like to emphasize the fact that these forms are not sharply 

 definable, and to express the hope that future writers will refrain from 

 availing themselves of the above characters for the purpose of raising 

 the varieties to the rank of species, as has been done by Schreiber 

 in the case of L. viridis, basing his definitions chiefly on characters 

 first pointed out by me nearly 35 years ago, but leaving out of 



