Distribution of the Lacertilia. 83 



5. Chalcides *. Ten species in Madagascar, one in 

 South Africa, six in the circum-Mediterranean 

 district. 



3. The Oriental Region. — We have seen above that the 

 Manchurian Subregion of the Pal^arctic Region should form 

 part of the Oriental. The northern boundary traced by 

 Wallace appears otherwise satisfactory, save that the desert 

 of North-western India belongs essentially to the Ethiopian 

 Region. This region thus defined is poor as regards the 

 number of families : these are the Geckonidee, Eublepharidse 

 (in India only), Agamidse, Varanidse, Lacertidse, and Scin- 

 cidse. We have noticed above the occurrence of Pseudopus 

 (Anguidge) in the Khasia hills. 



It possesses also a representative of the Chamasleontidse in 

 India and Ceylon ; but the fact that this unique species is 

 identical with a North-African one clearly shows that it must 

 be treated as an immigrant from the Ethiopian Region. For 

 the same reason we may omit such genera as Agama and 

 UromastiXj which occur in Northern India, and the Lacertoid 

 genera OpMops and Cabrtta, which are merely outposts from 

 the neighbouring region. The Lacertidse, therefore, are 

 restricted to a single Oriental genus, Tachydromus. The 

 Geckonidse and Scincidee are cosmopolitan ; the Eublepha- 

 rida? have such a range as to throw no light on the relation- 

 ships of this with other regions ; and, finally, the Agamidge 

 and Varanidee occur in common with the Ethiopian and 

 Australian Regions. The Oriental Region does not possess a 

 single family of its own, a fact already pointed out for the 

 Batrachians. The Agamoids, by the great number of genera, 

 most of which are adapted to arboreal life, give a special 

 feature to this region, especially when compared with Africa 

 and Australia. The subdivisions into subregions proposed 

 by Wallace appear to agree on the whole with the distribution 

 of the Lacertilia ; but this is a question that can only be 

 elucidated by discussing the range of genera and species, and 

 therefore does not fall within the scope of this preliminary 

 note. As to the eastern limit of the Oriental Region, it is by 

 no means easy to decide where it should be drawn. Wallace's 

 line clearly does not answer in this case, for Celebes and the 

 Moluccas are tenanted by a strictly Malayan lizard-fauna, 

 without Australian element. The latter begins to appear 

 in New Guinea, where the genera Draco and Galotes are 

 absent ; whilst the characteristic Australian family Pygopo- 



* ^Seps, auct. nee Laur., -\-Gongylus, 



