208 APPENDIX F. REPTILES. 



Most of the species of this genus are Mexican ; one is common in the 

 United States, and known as the brown or fence lizard. A second 

 species was discovered by Captain Stansbury in the valley of the Great 

 Salt Lake. Another species inhabits the western States, and a fourth is 

 peculiar to Oregon. 



4. ScELOPORUS C0NS0BRINITS, B. & G. 

 Zoology, PI. X, Figs. 5-12. 



Spec. char. — Ground color above brownish, with a series of small 

 black spots, eight or ten in number, on each side of the dorsal line. A 

 yellowish stripe outside of the spots, and a black band beneath the stripe. 

 A greenish area between the black band above "and the elongated blue 

 patch on the sides of the abdomen. Beneath, greenish blue. 



Desc. — This species bears a close relationship to S. graciosus, from 

 the valley of the Great Salt Lake of Utah, in the description of which 

 the remarkably large size of the dorsal scales was mentioned as consti- 

 tuting one of its most distinguishing features, when compared to S. sca- 

 laris. In the present species the dorsal scales are proportionally still 

 larger than in S. graciosus. Its body and head are also more slender 

 and narrower. The tail is more tapering and elongated,' and constitutes 

 almost three-fifths of the total length. In coloration the differences 

 between the two species are very striking. 



The head is subelliptical, depressed, declive towards the snout, which 

 is rather pointed. The superciliary region is but slightly raised above 

 the plane of the vertex. The rostral plate is subtriangular, very low, 

 and elongated transversely. The nostrils are almost circular, situated 

 in the middle of a small plate, separated from the rostral by two small 

 intervening ones. There are ten or twelve internasal and very small 

 plates, and nine somewhat larger frontals, the middle one the largest. 

 There are two verticals, (or frontals,) the anterior one the largest. The 

 occipital is large and pentagonal, surrounded by four or six smaller 

 plates, two anterior of medium size, contiguous to the postvertical, two 

 lateral, larger and triangular, exteriorly to which two smaller ones may 

 be observed. There are three or four subhexagonal, transversely elon- 

 gated, plates on the superciliary region, surrounded internally by one 

 row and externally by two rows of minute plates. The superciliary 

 edge is formed by five sharp and imbricated thin plates ; it is continued 

 in the shape of a ridge to the nostril by means of two sharply-keeled 

 plates. The suborbitals are two in number, the posterior one much the 

 longest. There is a small loral. 



