Mr. A. W. E. O'Shaughnessy on Norops. 189 



two rows of scales between supralabial series and eye ; 



occipital plate very small. Toes dilated, although not to 



the same extent as in Anolis. Both fore and hind limbs, 



when laid forward, reach to the tip of the snout. Tail 



twice the length of the body. 

 Coloration. Upper surface of a bright gilded brown ; a black 



or purple stripe upon side of body : lower surface yellowish, 



with glossy reflections. 



In a specimen of this interesting species in the collection of 

 the British Museum the shape of the head exhibits a strong- 

 convexity from the eye to the nape ; the upper surface imme- 

 diately in front of the eyes is occupied by a remarkable depres- 

 sion. The breadth of the head at its broadest part behind is 

 contained only once and one-third in the length of the same. 

 Every scale of the head has a strong raised ridge or keel along 

 its whole longitudinal extent ; the united effect of all these 

 keels is to give a very rugose appearance to the general sur- 

 face. All the descriptions of this species at present extant re- 

 present the scales of the head, and more particularly of the 

 snout, as many-keeled or tricarinate. None of these scales, 

 however, seem to possess more than the one very strong keel 

 just mentioned. It is probable that this statement, especially 

 in Dumeril and Bibron's description, was founded upon a spe- 

 cimen of 12-striatus, in which, as we shall see, the scales of 

 the muzzle are distinctly 3-keeled. Dr. Peters does not men- 

 tion the extent to which the scales are carinated in his tropi- 

 donotus. There are distinctly two series of elongated keeled 

 scales between the supralabial series and the eye, as stated by 

 Dumeril and Bibron and Dr. Peters. 



The supraorbital space is occupied by a group of five large 

 keeled scales, surrounded externally by a multitude of very 

 small round scales, and internally by a semicircular ridge 

 formed by the stronger and more raised keels of the adjacent 

 head-shields. The superciliary edge is sharp, keeled, sending 

 a sort of crest down to the nasal opening. The occipital plate 

 is very small, scarcely distinguishable without a lens as a 

 circular point in the midst of the keeled scales of the occipital 

 part of the head. Ear-opening large. 



The general line of the back is convex ; although the body 

 is somewhat compressed, the surface of the back is rounded. 

 Thirteen to fourteen series of large, imbricate, keeled scales, 

 beginning immediately behind the head, extend longitudinally 

 the whole length of the back, and continue convergently on 

 the tail ; their keels form regular longitudinal ridges. The 

 scales of the upper surface of the tail are a continuation of 

 those of the back. 



Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. Ser. 4. Vol. iii. 14 



