EUMECES SCHNE1DEKI. 199 
is met with of the coloration so characteristic of Chalcides ocellatus. So much does 
it conform to the latter that individuals presenting it might at first sight be mistaken 
for that species. 
Six out of 8 Egyptian specimens have 26 rows of scales round the middle of the 
body, and two have 28. These two numbers prevail in Persian examples of the species, 
whereas in the Syrian forms only 24 rows of scales occur. 
It is known to the Arabs as cL>lli "\=umm el haiydt, " the mother of serpents," and 
also as yui! il[^=raddaat el bakar, the " milker of cattle ; " but, according to Sonnini, 
a similar myth to this exists regarding Varanus niloticus. 
