12. SCELOPORUS 271 



scales below the lower lateral light line. Below this, on the 

 side of the body between the limbs, is a bright reddish orange 

 band, covering about eight rows of scales in the axilla and 

 about four rows posteriorly. This reddish band in turn is 

 bordered below by the bright blue lateral ventral patch three 

 or four scales wide. In front of the shoulder is a small 

 blackish brown patch with a bright blue central spot. The 

 upper series of dorsal blotches unite on the base of the tail 

 to form a nearly continuous dark midcaudal stripe. The 

 limbs and head have a few dark brown markings. The lower 

 surfaces are white. 



An adult female lacks the orange lateral stripe which is 

 so bright in the males. 



The color in life of an adult male (C. A. S. No. 48101) 

 which lacks all trace of the usual dorsal crescents was, on 

 July 3, 1 920, just after it had shed its skin, as follows: The 

 color above is dark brown, darker and grayer along the 

 middle of the back, lighter laterally and on the fore and 

 hind feet, and everywhere on back and sides of body with 

 a slight coppery or bronze cast. There are no dorsal or lat- 

 eral crescents and no longitudinal light lines, except a very 

 indistinct trace of the dorso-lateral one from the neck to a 

 point over the hind leg. A bright, deep orange band runs 

 along the side between the fore and hind limb and is much 

 broader anteriorly than posteriorly, where it covers two or 

 three rows of scales. Below this orange band is a shorter 

 band of bright bluish green, about four scales wide, along 

 each side of the belly, the inner portion, next to the white 

 of the belly, being very much darker green than the lateral 

 portion, which is almost turquoise. There are a few green 

 dots on many of the central ventral scales. All the rest of 

 the lower surfaces are white, except one blue scale on each 

 side of the throat. 



