-. 123 — 



captured during our short stay in Eound Island no less than 

 four very distinct species. Col. Pike likewise mentions, as 

 ■will be seen from his notes, having observed '' the light green 

 Lizard with crimson spots similar to those in Mauritius," but 

 could not catch one. This must I imagine be the common 

 Mascarene species GecJco {Platydactylus Gepedianus) described 

 and figured by Geoffrey St. Hilaire as from " File de France,'' 

 I did not myself remark it at Round Island. Of the four of 

 which specimens are produced, three were described by the 

 late distinguished naturalist M. Julien Desjardins in the 

 22nd Yol. of the '' Annales des Sciences Naturelles " under 

 the respective names of '' Scincus Telfairii, Scincus Bojerii 

 and Scincus Boutonii ; but with the exception of the first 

 which being also a Madagascar species is better known to 

 science, Col. Pike is probably correct in stating that they 

 require to be re-examined and reclassed. 



Mr. Bouton indeed tells me that he remembers having 

 seen in some number of the Proceedings of the Zoological 

 Society of London, on which he cannot lay his hands, that his 

 namesake was no longer include among the Scinci. The 

 Telfairii the largest species, often exceeding a foot in length, 

 is described by Desjardins as inhabiting the Coin de Mire, 

 He Plate, He Ronde and the He aux Serpents, and he natu- 

 rally expresses his astonishment at its never having been 

 found in Mauritius itself According to Mr. Maillard it is 

 equally absent from Bourbon, but Mr. Pollen includes it 

 among Madagascar species, thus rendering it one of the links 

 in the chain of proofs of independent connection between the 

 Great African Island and the little Group of Islets off Cap 

 Malheureux. 



The next in size according to Desjardins is the " Bojerii " 

 which he states not to exceed 4 inches (11 Centimetres) in 

 length, and to be found in large numbers at Placq and in the 

 environs of Port Louis. Col. Pike declares that he has not 

 only not found it here, but has never seen it from any of the 

 Mascarene Group, 



I rather think, however, that he is really alluding to the 

 third species the " Boutonii " which Desjardins describee as 



