30 LACERTID^E. 



under the tail, and a few black dots scattered about those 

 parts. 



In its general form this Lizard is much thicker and less 

 gracile than the more common species. The head is rather 

 more obtuse, the body more rounded, and the limbs stronger 

 and shorter. The relative proportions of the tail and the 

 body vary exceedingly in different individuals. As a general 

 rule, it may be stated that the length of the head and body 

 together is to that of the tail as three to four nearly ; but in 

 one specimen in my collection the proportions are nearly equal, 

 and in that which is figured above, page 28, the tail is even 

 considerably shorter than the head and body ; but, as has 

 been observed before, this may have occurred from the mu- 

 tilation and reproduction of that part. The legs are so 

 short, that when the posterior ones are brought forwards 

 and the anterior placed backwards parallel to the side of the 

 body, the hinder toes do not extend further than to the 

 wrist of the anterior ones ; in which respect it differs re- 

 markably from the other species. In this, as in others, how- 

 ever, the abdomen of the female is proportionally larger 

 than that of the male. The third and fourth toe of the 

 fore foot are nearly of equal length ; Mr. Jenyns says the 

 former is the longer, but in some specimens the reverse is 

 the case. The plates of the head* are similar in their general 

 form and proportions to those of most others of the genus. 

 The nostrils are placed near the outer or inferior margin of the 

 nasal plates, and nearly half-way between the anterior and pos- 

 terior margins. The frontal plate is elongate pentagonal ; 

 the anterior angle obtuse ; the lateral margins parallel, but 

 slightly contracted about the middle ; the inter-parietal pen- 

 tagonal, and with a depressed point in the centre ; the oc- 

 cipital very small. The upper eyelid with a series of very 

 minute scales, and the whole surface of the lower covered by 

 * See the figure in page 21. 



