Lacerta. 295 



S Eesht 



>> >> 



Columns us on p. 175. 



Habitat. — The south and soutli-west coast of the Caspian Sea ; the 

 specimens examined bvme are fropi Enzeli and Eesht, in Persia ; those 

 described bv Mchely are from Lenkoran and Baku in Transcaucasia 

 and Astrabad in Persia. The species is also reported from Teheran by 

 Werner. 



In the shape of the head, in the serrated collar, in the pointed caudal 

 scales, L. chlorogasfer bears some resemblance to L. taiirica, and Mehely 

 finds a great similarity between the skulls of the two species ; the 

 keeled dorsal scales contrasting w^ith the smaller laterals is a character 

 shared, to a stronger degree, hy L.praticola, Yet I do not think there 

 is any close relationship between the three species. There is on the 

 whole more in common with L. inuralis, vars. saxicola and caiicasica, 

 as I'ecognized by Mehely. L. chlorogaster differs from all the forms of 

 L. vuiralis in combining keeled, usually hexagonal dorsal scales with 

 smaller laterals. It would perhaps be better to regard L. chlorogaster 

 as a variety of L. muralis, more primitive, in most respects, than any 

 of the Transcaucasian-Persian forms wath which we are at present 

 acquainted. Apart from the shape of the head it is not without 

 resemblance to the African L. jacJcsonii, the two often agreeing very 

 closely in the markings, and although its true affinities are still a 

 puzzle, I cannot think of a better position for it in the serial arrange- 

 ment that has to be followed than between L. muralin and L.jacksonii. 



20. LACERTA JACKSONII. 



Lacerta jacksoni, Bouleng. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1899, p. 96, pi. x ; 

 Peracca, Ruwenzori, i, p. 166 (1909) ; Bouleng. Tr. Zool. Soc. xix, 

 1909, p. 242 ; Degen, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1910, p. 19 ; Steruf. in Schubotz. 

 Wiss. Ergebn. Deutsch. Z.-Afr. Exped., Zool. ii, p. 215 (1912) ; 

 Bouleng. Tr. Zool. Soc. xxi, 1916, p. 55, pi. iv, fig. 3. 



Lacerta jacksoni, subsp. kibonotensis, Lonnberg, in Sjiisteclt, Kilim.- 

 Meru Exped., Eept. Batr. p. 5 (1907), and Svensk. Vet.-Ak. Handl. 

 (2), xlvii. No. 6, 1911, p. 14. 



Head and body much depressed. Head large in the full-grown male 

 (3| to 4 times in length to vent), 1^ to If, times as long as broad, its 

 depth equal to the distance between the posterior corner of the eye 



