132 Lacertidee. 



Ventral plates in 6 or 8" longitudinal series, those of the outer series, 

 when 8 are present, smaller than those next to them ; the plates of 

 the second series from the median line always much broader than 

 those of the first and usually broader than those of the third ; those 

 of the first usually narrower but sometimes as broad as those of the 

 third ; 23 to 26, rarely 21 or 27, transverse series in males, 26 to 30, 

 rarely 24, 25, or 31, in females. 



Preanal shield small, sometimes large, bordered by 2, rarely l,t 

 semicircles of smaller shields, 4 or 6, rarely 8, in the inner semicircle, 

 the median pair usually enlarged. 



Scales on upper surface of tibia more or less strongly keeled, some- 

 times nearly smooth, much smaller than dorsals. 5 to 15 femoral 

 pores on each side, usually 8 to 12. 14 to 20 lamellar scales under 

 the fourth toe, usually 15 to 19. 



Caudal scales forming whorls which are more or less distinctly 

 longer and shorter alternately ; the upper strongly keeled, often 

 grooved on each side of the keel, and ending in a point, the lower 

 smooth in the basal part of the tail and rounded or obliquely pointed 

 behind ; 22 to 30 scales in the fourth or fifth whorl behind the post- 

 anal granules. 



The new-born young have often been described as black, and they 

 do often appear so at first sight. It may be that some are really 

 entirely black, but all those I have examined are only of a very dark 

 bronzy brown above and greyish black beneath, the upper parts 

 showing in a strong light — and better still after having been some- 

 what bleached in spirit — black and yellowish markings which are not 

 essentially different from those of older specimens. I will here note 

 the principal variations I have observed. 



a. (Bozau, Transylvania.) A black, light-edged vertebral streak 

 on the nape and on each side a light, black-edged streak proceeding 

 from the outer edge of the parietal ; on the back the black vertebral 

 streak disappears and the light black-edged dorso-lateral streaks are 

 broken up ; they are replaced by four series of round ocellar spots 

 which are continued on the tail. Two light, black-edged streaks on 

 each side of the head, the upper from the eye to above the tympanum, 

 the lower from the upper lip to the lower part of the tympanum ; 



* The distinction between 6 and 8 is often very arbitrary ; 8 occurs more 

 frequently in females than in males, but there is no correlation between the 

 number of rows and the habitat, as believed by Bedriaga, any more than there 

 is in the shape and size of the dorsal scales. I have never come across 10 series, 

 as observed by Bedriaga in a specimen from Sachalien. 



t Male from W. Ross-shire, females from Lhanbryde and Castleton. — In 

 some other specimens the outer row is incomplete. 



