336 MR. E. G. BOULENGER ON THE 



olive-grey above and on the sides, freckled with black and with 

 pale greenish-yellow spots ; the black appeared as an irregular 

 vertebral stripe, a dorso-lateral stripe, and bars on the flanks ; 

 the upper eyelids, the parotoids, and the throat wei-e claret-red. 

 The coloration of such a Salamander has a lichen-like aspect 

 more suggestive of assimilation to the surroundings than of 

 warning to enemies." Other specimens which he has seen since 

 had but little or no red on them, but the yellow spots were 

 greyish in the centre. 



In his description of var. molleri, Bedriaga states that it diifei's 

 from the typical form in the snout being more pointed and 

 projecting beyond the lower jaw, also that the tail is shorter and 

 thicker. In five out of eight specimens (including Bedriaga's 

 type) examined by me, I found the snout to be more projecting 

 than is usual in the other forms, although the most pointed 

 snout I have seen is in a specimen from near Meissen, Saxony. 

 I also fovind that the tail in four out of the eight specimens 

 was stouter and shorter than usual in the typical form and 

 the var. tceniata, and this is also to be noticed in the figure 

 on PL XY. The length of the tail in each of the specimens 

 (measvired from the posterior end of the vent) was 55, 55, 57, 

 57, 63, 67, 67, 71, the length of the body being taken as 100 (tip 

 of snout to posterior end of vent). The length of the tail in the 

 typical form varies from 60 to 78, with an average of about 67, 

 whilst in the var. tceniata it may fall as low as 54 (Besan9on). 

 It will be seen therefore, that there are many exceptions, and 

 too much importance should not be attached to this character. 

 I may add that the measurements of the Galician specimens, 

 alluded to above under the name of var. gallaica, give 57, 66, 

 70, and 70 as the length of the tail, and those of the specimens 

 from near Madrid 56, 65, and 70. 



Thanks to the coui-tesy of the Hon. Walter Rothschild, I am 

 able to give a figure (PI. XY.) of the var. molleri from a sketch 

 made for him by Mr. J. Green, from a female specimen in his 

 possession exhibited a few years ago in the Zoological Gardens. 



I have myself examined two fresh specimens of this variety 

 from Lisbon, one alive, received from Sr. F. Mattozo Santos, 

 Director of the Museum Bocage at Lisbon. In the live specimen 

 the crimson-red colour was distributed over the parotoids, the 

 upper eyelids, the throat, the spots at the angle of the mouth and 

 on the sides, and the spot on the foi^earmand thigh. On the back 

 and tail there was no red colour, but many of the yellow spots 

 were partly bordered or as if washed over in the centre with a 

 dirty grey. In the second specimen the red colour was restricted 

 to the parotoids, the upper eyelids, and the spot at the angle of the 

 mouth. The markings of the back, limbs, tail, sides, throat, and 

 belly being mostly light grey in the centre and on the borders. 



On careful examination of the red and grey markings in these 

 specimens, I have come to the conclusion that these are due, not 

 to special pigments in addition to or in combination with the 



I 



