SAND LIZARD. 



The slender knowledge possessed by Linneus of the species 

 of Reptilia, and his total ignorance of the value of specific 

 characters in this class, led him to include amongst the sup- 

 posed varieties of his Lacerta agilis several which have 

 since been ascertained to be not specifically only, but gene- 

 rically distinct ; at least, according to the rigid principles of 

 subdivision adopted by several of our more distinguished 

 modern Erpetologists. As, however, the typical form of his 

 species thus named was indigenous to Sweden, for he re- 

 fers in his great standard work, the " Systema Naturae," to the 

 " Fauna Suecica" to fix its identity, it only remains for us to 

 ascertain what is the common species of that country, to fix 

 this doubtful and obscure synonymy. 



It appears quite clear that neither of the two species which 

 I have before mentioned as having erroneously received the 

 name of Lacerta agilis can possibly be the one originally 

 intended by the great Swedish naturalist, as neither of them 

 appears to be indigenous to that country. But it is not 

 only highly probable, but becomes a demonstrated fact, that 

 the present species is the type of the L. agilis of Linneus, 

 when it is considered that it is a native of Sweden, and that 

 the short allusion for it is nothing more in the " Fauna 

 Suecica " is perfectly applicable to it. The specific character 

 given by Linneus both in the " Fauna Suecica" and the 

 " Systema Naturae " is vague, and equally applicable to the 

 whole of the genus Lacerta as now constituted ; but he pro- 

 ceeds to name two varieties in the following manner : 

 " j8 Lacertus viridis Aldrovand. y. Lacertus dorso punctis 

 albis duplici serie. Var. j3 rarissima, nee mihi ipsi obvia." 

 Here we have the common and the rarer green varieties of 

 our own species indicated, at least, with great probability. 

 But in the more recent edition of the same work by Retzius, 

 the characters are still more decidedly applicable ; and the 

 expression " laterum ocellis nigris, pupilla alba," is decisive. 



