Mr. A. W. E. O'Sliauglmessy on Norops auratus. 275 



In the, Avords of Dr. Ilallowoll, one species (iV. auratns) luis the 

 toes " dilated, although not to the same extent as in many 

 gpecies of -4no?<A'," while in the other species {\\\.^ mact'odoc- 

 tylus, which is the 12-striatus) they arc " totally destitute of 

 such dilatation." Daudin, however, gives no descri})tion of 

 pther characters sutKcient to estal)llsh one or other of the spe- 

 cies; the coloration which he describes might Ix^ that of 12- 

 struif.Ks^^vcYd it not for the two ditferent descriptions of colora- 

 tion given by Dunieril and JMbron in their more elaborate 

 {iccount of Norops auratus. in their resume, of the characters 

 of that species I read, " Cor})s d'un brun fauvc dord, avec on 

 ^ans banded'une teinte plus claire surle dos," with no mention 

 whatever of a Avhite stripe ; and in their coloured figure there 

 is only a ])artial o\\(\ from the ear to the shoulch'.r, whei-eas the 

 dark jmrplish stripe which 1 have mentioned as occurring in 

 auratics extends unaccompanied the whole length of the side. 

 It was the subsequent statement about a white lateral stripe 

 in one of the specinu^ns, together with the length given to the 

 hind legs, Avhich led me to presume that one of their specimens 

 might have been a iV. 'i2-f^frt'(tfiifi. As, however, in all other 

 respects their descri])tion ditlers from that of A^. l'2-s(ri(itiiSj 

 justifying Dr. l^erthold's sid)Se(pu>.nt sejjaration of that speeies, 

 and as it is the first satisfactory scientific description of N. 

 auratuSy I think it but natural to take it as the basis of all 

 argument rehvtive to that s])ccies. 



8ince Dnnu^ril and Jiibron have given two descriptions of 

 the coloration, 1 have, of course, as much right to choose the 

 one in support of my view as Prof. Peters has to choose the 

 other. My " sup})Ositiou " of the identity of his Anolis tropi- 

 donotus with the species of Dumeril and JJibron does not, 

 however, rest merely or even cliieffy on the matter of the co- 

 loration, l)ut on the fact of the agreement of the two in a// the 

 ■important characters which are more ])ro])erly structural, save 

 •the one above mentioned. With regard to ////'n, 1 need only 

 quote Dr. Berthold's express statement that the hind lind)s in N. 

 ■auratus of Daudin, Wagler, and Dunu'ril and Bibron "reach 

 to the mouth, the fore limbs even beyond ;" and I may state, 

 besides, that in a specimen of that species which I have just 

 examined both pairs of limbs reach beyond the head (as in 

 troj)idonott(s). What can he plainer than these words of Prof. 

 Peters, — " Ttro longitudinal rows of keeled scales between 

 the supralabials and the eyc^ " (in trojmlonotiis) V or than these 

 of Dumeril and Bibron, — " 11 existe un double rang de grandos 

 (Readies carendes au-dessus de la sdric des placpies labiales 

 supdrieures " ? 



Curiously enough, in the latter part of his note, Prof. Peters 



