484 COtTNT M. G. PEKACCA ON AX ITALIAN NEAVT. [JuUe 7, 



male, aud its borders are distinctly convergent towards the end, 

 while ill the female they are nearly parallel. The end of the tail 

 is broadly rounded and sharply mucronated. Cloaca of the male 

 a longitudinal cleft, with strongly swollen lips (as in M. vulgaris) ; 

 that of the female like that of M. vulgaris, but smaller, more com- 

 pressed, subconieal, and directed inwardly in the specimens pre- 

 served in spirit. Skin nearly smooth or minutely tuberculated, 

 with a network of faint nearly transverse grooves and ten to twelve 

 vertical more or less conspicuous costal grooves on the sides of the 

 body and vertical ones on the sides of the basal portion of the tail. 

 Upper surface of head with two diverging series of conspicuous 

 pores. A distinct gular fold, sometimes undistinguishable in the 

 preserved specimens. 



Male. Upper surface of head aud body between the two cuta- 

 neous folds olive-brown, more or less dark, with small darker spots 

 irregularly disposed ; head neither spotted nor striped, sometimes 

 minutely speckled with dark brown on the sides. Upper lip dark. 

 Flanks of a beautiful metallic brass-yellow, with scattered large 

 dark olive-brown spots, sometimes with lead-grey centres. The 

 metallic brilliancy of the flanks may be obscured with dark brown 

 or lead-grey speckles. Sides of the tail usually brass-yellow in the 

 basal half, the distal half, when not metallic, being yellow-brown, 

 minutely speckled with brown and metallic dots. The lower 

 border of the tail yellow ish white. The tail is marked with large 

 brown, sometimes lead-grey, spots and a few large black ones are 

 constantly to be seen on its lower basal border. From the lower 

 part of the head, beginning from the posterior corner of the eye, 

 along the flanks to the vent a white or yellowish-white, usually 

 unspotted, narrow band, with silky gloss, which extends more or 

 less, during the breeding-season, on the lateral parts of the belly. 

 Thi'oat yellow-ochre, more or less dark, unspotted or with scattered 

 black dots towards the gular fold and the sides ; belly yellow- 

 ochre, always lighter than the throat, with numerous small black 

 roundish spots irregularly disposed or sometimes conlined to the 

 sides of the belly. The swollen lips of the cloaca brass-yellow or 

 glossy white, with large black spots ; the lips of the anal cleft 

 blackish slate-grey. Upper surface of limbs, fingers, and toes 

 olive-brown, with dark dots ; lower parts yellowish or whitish ; the 

 soles yellowish or dark gi'ey. 



Female. The throat and the belly are as in the males, but the 

 lateral black dots on the belly are very often transversely expanded 

 or more or less curved to form incomplete rings. Upper parts 

 and sides of the tail oli re-brown, more or less darker, very often 

 minutely speckled with lead-gi-ey. On the back along the lateral 

 folds there are black spots often confluent to form a festooned band, 

 as in the females oiJil. vulgaris, palmata, montandoni. Sides of the 

 tail with round black spots, usually disposed along an upper and 

 a lower line ; lower crest yellow-ochre. 



Some females are very brilliantly coloured, with metallic flanks, 

 like the males. Both in the males and females there is a vellow 



