324 MR. E. G. BOULE>fGER ON THE 



would not be without importance at the present moment. Such 

 a survey would afibrd those who wish to follow the path opened 

 lip by Dr. Kammerer a more precise basis than can be obtained 

 from the available literature on the subject. I have therefore, 

 with the help of my father, undertaken a revision of the rich 

 material in the British Museum and have now the honour of 

 offering an account of it for piiblication to the Zoological Society. 

 One of the jDrincipal results of my study has been to lay greater 

 stress on the disposition of the markings than on their actual 

 size, form, or colour, and to define two principal forms in Central 

 Europe, which previous authors have not separated with sufficient 

 precision, in spite of their well-marked geographical segregation. 



Except in the case of var. molleri, with its aberrant coloration, 

 authors dividing S. maculosa into a number of subordinate forms 

 have dwelt on real or supposed structural characters, whilst 

 ignoring the disposition of the markings. Bedriaga (3, p. 98), 

 the most recent writer on the subject, recognizes, apart fi'om the 

 typical form, also called by him var. europcea (2, p. 252), three 

 varieties, namely — var. algira, var. Corsica, and var. molleri, the 

 two former based only on slight structural differences, which are, 

 besides, not constant, as I intend to show further on. Under the 

 designation of typical form authors have generally thrown together 

 specimens with different styles of markings, either simply ob- 

 serving that these are subject to infinite variation or classifying 

 them under a number of titles, which refer merely to indi- 

 vidual variations, such as the var. tceniata, var. quadrivirgata and 

 var. nigriveniris, j^roposed by Diirigen (10, pp. 577 & 578) for 

 certain individuals. In order to avoid introducing a new name, 

 I will adopt the first of these for the assemblage which I have 

 endeavoured to define and contrast with the typical spotted form 

 on which the name maculosa is based. 



To better bring out the individual differences to which the 

 markings are subjected in this Salamander, I have drawn up 

 ta.bles of a certain number of the specimens in the British 

 Museum, upon a scheme which should prove of use to those 

 making experiments on the colour-changes, as by that means a 

 record of each individual specimen, out of a large nmnber, can be 

 kept in such a way as to ensure its future identification. Such 

 tables, explained by the annexed diagram (text-fig. 99), do not, 

 however, convey an exact representation of the markings, which 

 can only be done by descriptions, but they will be found to answer 

 well enough for the purpose of identification. 



In defining the varieties into which the species Salamandra 

 macidosa may be divided, I have not lost sight of occasional 

 exceptions, and have duly pointed them out. There are always 

 exceptions, especially when we have to deal with forms of sub- 

 specific rank, but such as I have come across are too few to 

 militate against the adoption of a var. iceniata as opposed to the 

 forma typica. 



In the tables the explanation of the various columns is as 



