Eremias. 237 



loner, those of the two outer series on each side fully twice as broad as 

 long. Preanal I'egion covered with numerous irregular scales, or with 

 those on the median line a little enlarged. 



Scales on upper surface of tibia rhombic, subimbricate, keeled, 

 as laro-e as or a little larger than dorsals ; one series of verv large aud 

 one of small p'ates on the lower surface. 12 to 20 femoral pores on 

 each side, usually 13 to 18. Sulidigital lamellse bicarinate, 20 to 26 

 under the fourth toe, usually 22 to 24. 



Upper caudal scales yery oblique, truncate liehind, strongly and 

 diagonally keeled, often striated in addition, lower keeled ; 18 to 22 

 scales in the fourth or fifth whorl. 



Young black above and on the sides, with white streaks, the outer 

 of which may be broken up into series of spots ; limbs with round 

 white spots ; throat and belly white ; tail red. In what I regard as 

 the most primitive pattern (Inland of Berbera) there are 9 series of 

 white streaks on the neck, 8 on the body, 5 on the base of the tail ; 

 of the 4 pairs, the innermost originates behind the middle of the 

 parietal shield and unites with its fellow on the base of the tail ; the 

 next starts from behind the eye and ends on i\\% tail ; the following 

 extends from below the nasal shields, through the middle of the 

 tympanum, to the groin, reappearing on the tail ; the lowermost 

 extends from the chin-shields to the arm and from behind the ai'm to 

 the groin, and becomes converted into the series of blue spots which 

 follows the side of the belly in many adults. 



The variations, starting from the above type, ai'e as follows : {a) 

 The vertebral streak on the nape disappears ; (h) the three median 

 streaks are reduced to one on tlie body from between the shoulders 

 (Tanga, IS'di) ; (c) the median streaks are reduced to one pair on the 

 neck, which fuse between the shoulders or at some distance further 

 down the body (typical E. sjjeliii). 



The light streaks are usually retained in the adult, l)ut the ground- 

 colour between them is grey, pale brown, or reddish, with l)lack spots 

 usually in the form of cross-bars ; upper lip often blackish ; tail reddish 

 towards the end. Some specimens, mostly with the snbocular bordering 

 the mouth, with 5 light streaks on the body (E. spekii), others with 

 6 {E. sextseniata). In a series of 16 specimens from Takanugu, one 

 conforms to E. sextseniata in the 6 streaks aud in the subocular not 

 reaching the mouth, one to E. sjiel-ii, whilst the others agree with 

 the latter in the subocular and with the former in the light streaks. 

 Tornier mentions examples in which the two median dorsal streaks 

 fuse to one half-way down the body, and one in which, after having 

 fused in the middle of the body, they divide again to fuse once more 



