170 . Lacertidee. 



from behind the eye ami passing above the ear-opening, is lost on the 

 side of the neck, sometimes reappearing as a small blue ocellus al)ove 

 tlie shoulder; the lower lateral, starting from the lower lijj. is often 

 absent, or replaced by a series of small blue spots on the sides of the 

 belly. Some specimens are thus striated, with very small black spots 

 bordering the light streaks ; in others the streaks break up into longi- 

 tudinal series of spots and the black spots predominate, forming 

 longitudinal series, of which the vertebi-al is very conspicuous and 

 exceptionally confluent into a stripe, or the black spots may run 

 together to form cross-bars interrupted ];)y the remains of the light 

 streaks. Finally, specimens occur wliicli lack the markings altogether, 

 being uniform grey, brown, or olive above, and as they thus differ very 

 strikingly fi-om the spotted or streaked individuals among which they 

 live, they have been regarded by some autliors as a distinct species 

 (P. cinerevs, Bp.). Except in the uniformly coloured specimens, a 

 black line extends from the nostril to the eye, wliere it bifurcates, 

 the upper branch following the upper eyelid, the lower the subocular 

 shield. Limbs with round, white or yellowish spots. Lower parts 

 greyish white, or reddish. 



I have seriously c(msidered the advisability of dividing this species 

 into two forms, viz. the one from Central and Southern Spain and 

 Portugal, to which the name P. hispaniens probably applies, and the 

 P. echmrdsiamis (including P. cineretis) from France and Eastern 

 Spain. In the former the subocular nearly always borders the lip, 

 the scales round the body (ventrals included) number 30 to ;!4, there 

 are 9 to 12 femoral pores, and the foot is not more than one-fourth 

 longer than the head, Avith 10 to 20 lamellte under the fourth toe. 

 In the latter the subocular is usually separated from the t^ral 

 border, the scales are smaller, 34 to 42 i-ound the body, the femoral 

 poi"es are usually more numerous, 10 to 15, and the foot is longer 

 (1^ to li times as long as tlie head), with more numerous lamellaj 

 under the fourth toe (19 to 23). However, these characters 

 do not alway go han<l in hand, as shown by fhe male from Seville 

 (Gradow) and the female from Algarve tabulated below; and the 

 two specimens from the Dehesa de Albufera, near Valencia, would 

 be referable to P. Jiinpanlens and P. etlw((rdsiamis respectively. 

 I therefore do not deem it advisable, for the present at least, to 

 separate P. edwardsianus as a variety or subspecies, although I have 

 felt tempted to do so; the status of the two forms is about the 

 same as in the vars. i^ater and tangliana of L. orellata. The typical 

 P. hispaniens is probably the original form, agreeing more closely 

 \vith P. hlanci. 



