SECOND YARKAND MISSION. 



The last-named is the only species not obtained by Dr. Stoliczka in his last journey. It 

 had, however, previously been procured by him in Spiti (Steindachner, Rept. Nov. Exp., p. 65). 

 All the other species named had also been obtained previously, no additions having been 

 made to the fauna by the present collection. 



The very moderate list of species as yet procured from Eastern Turkestan comprises the 



following forms : 



LACERTILIA : 



Slellio stoliczkanus. 



Phrynocephalus theohaldi, var. (P.forsythi). 



P. axillaris. 



Teratoscincus keyserlingii. 



OPHIDIA : 



Gymnodacfylns elongatus. 

 G. microds. 

 Eremias yarJcandensis . 

 E, vermiculata. 



Zamenis ravergieri. 



Tropidonotus hydrns. 



Taphromelopum lineolatum. 



Of these species, only Phrynocephalus theobaldi and Eremias yarkandensis had been 

 obtained before the country was visited by Dr. Stoliczka ; another species, Cyrtodactylus 

 yarkandensis, recorded as having been brought from Yarkand, having really, I believe, been 

 collected in Laddk, and wrongly labelled. 



In the present account the following species are also mentioned, specimens of them 

 having been collected by Dr. Stoliczka in the Punjab hills or in Kashmir : 



LACERTILIA : 



Stellio tuber culatus. 

 S. agrorensis. 



Typhlops porrectus, var. 

 Compsosoma hodgsoni. 

 Plyas mitcosus. 



Evmeces tcsniolatvs. 

 Mocoa himalayana, 



OPHIDIA : 



Tropidonotus platyceps. 

 Fipera obtusa. 

 Halys himalayanus. 



With the possible exception of the last, none of these species appears to be found in the 

 dry region of Ladak, north of the dividing range between Kashmir proper and the Indus 



valley. 



It is thus evident that, so far as the Reptiles are considered, the countries traversed by 

 Dr. Stoliczka between the plains of India and Kashghar yield three entirely distinct faunas : 

 (1) that of the Punjab hills and Kashmir, comprising a majority of Himalayan forms, 

 with a few species common to the plains of India and some types belonging to palasarctic 

 genera ; (2) that of Western Tibet ; and (3) that of Eastern Turkestan, both the latter 

 belonging to the palsearctic region, but to distinct sub-divisions, only one species having 

 hitherto been found in both areas, and even that is represented by well-marked varieties. 1 



1 Since the present account was first written, I have received, through the kindness of Dr. Strauch, a copy of his descriptions of 

 the reptiles collected by Colonel Przevalski in Central Asia. The work was published in 1876, and is, therefore, later in date than my 

 preliminary account of Dr. Stoliczka's collections in the "Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal"" for 1875 (vol. xliv, p. 191). 

 The greater portion of Dr. Strauch 's paper is unfortunately in Russian, but the descriptions are in Latin, and excellent lithographs 

 of all the new species are given. One form of Eremias, Podarces (E.) pylzowi, appears to me possibly the same as E. vermiculata 

 from Yarkand ; but of this I am not certain, and I am unable to identify any of the other forms described, including five species of 

 Phrynocephalus, and five (besides E, pylzowi) of Eremias, with the species inhabiting Eastern Turkestan. 



