378 MR. G. A. BOTJLEWGEE OK THE 



The bones are well preserved in a deposit of light brown 

 pumiceoua tufa, stratified in horizontal beds of unequal hardness, 

 but they are difficult to get out entire without fracture. The 

 Tillage people regard the Mastodon bones as the remains of the 

 big men who lived before the flood ; but the chief man of the 

 village classified the banes under the heads elephant, deer, swine, 

 unicorn, and " devy," or men wdth horns like genii. 



EEPTILIA AifD AMPHIBIA. 

 By G. A. BouLENGEB, r.E.S., F.Z.S. 



LACERTILIA. 



1. Phrtnocephaltjs helioscopus, Fall. 



Khoi ; 1 specimen. North of Lake Urmi : 2 specimens. 



These specimens agree with the Persian variety described 

 by De Pilippi and by Blanford under the name of P. persicus, 

 having a pair of pink spots, edged with blue, on the nape. One 

 of the specimens from L. Urmi difii'ers, how^ever, from Blanford's 

 description of P. pemczis in having the larger scales along the 

 spine bluntly but very distinctly keeled. The large series 

 preserved in the British Museum removes all doubts as to the 

 specific identity of P. persicus with P. helioscopus. The bright 

 nuchal markings are often present in Central-Asian examples. 



An excellent description of the coloration from living speci- 

 mens has been given by L. v. Mehely, Zool. Anz. 1894, p. 82 ; 

 but I can see no sufficient ground for the establishment of his 

 var. Sorvathi. 



2. Laceeta vieidis, Laur. 



Bash Nurashin, Sept. 23. 



A young specimen of the var. strigata, Eichw. : uniform dark 

 olive-brown above, with five yellowish-white longitudinal lines. 

 Yentrals in 6 longitudinal series; 38 scales across the bodyj 

 17 pores under each thigh. 



3. Ophiops elegans, Menetr. 



Numerous specimens of the typical form, all with two super- 

 posed postnasals. Considering the wide range of variation of 

 the numbers of scales and femoral pores, it may be of interest 

 to record the figures occurring on the specimens collected by 

 Mr. Giinther. Under A is given the number of scales round the 



