LACEETA MUEALIS IX WESTEEN EUEOPE AND NOETH AFEICA. 373 



respect but the ground-colour from the brown or green lizards of Minorca and 

 Majorca, the markings of which may be detected in certain lights in some adult black 

 specimens, and which are distinctly shown by all young specimens. Brown and olive- 

 green specimens from Minorca were first referred by Bedriaga to his subspecies fusca, 

 and afterwards to a distinct variety named balearica ; whilst specimens with a blue or 

 blue-green back, from the Dragoneras Island, near Majorca, were described as another 

 variety named after Prof. Giglioli of Florence. 



Having recently received from Senor J. Ferrer, of Mahon, numerous living 

 specimens (some brown, some green, some bluish green on the back, and the green ones 

 having after a time become brown 1 ), I cannot regard the coloration as affording any 

 justification for the establishment of varieties; and as the structural characters are the 

 same in these so-called varieties, I have no hesitation in throwing them all together 

 under the name of var. lilfordi Giinther, which lias priority over that of balearica. 

 The form on which L. lilfordi was established I regard as a mere case of melanism, 

 fixed on certain islands, through influences which are as yet unexplained ; but there 

 would, in my opinion, be no more reason for allowing it the rank of variety, in the 

 sense in which I take the term, than in the case of the black individuals of Vipera berus 

 and V. aspis or of Lacerta vivipara. Besides, if all the individuals on Ayre Island and 

 other islets in the Balearic are affected with melanism, the name of the variety coupled 

 with an indication of the locality is amply sufficient to avoid confusion with any other 

 form. On the other hand, the Iviza lizard, which has been treated by previous authors 

 as a race equivalent to the vars. balearica, gigliolii, and lilfordi, can be well defined and 

 constitutes a quite distinct form. 



Having explained my reasons for throwing together the so-called varieties mentioned 

 in the synonymy, I will proceed to a description of the material before me, consisting 

 of 32 specimens from the following localities: — Mahon (Braun in Lataste Coll., Bedriaga, 

 Ferrer), I. del Rey, near Minorca (Braun in Lataste Coll., Ferrer), I. del Ayre, near 

 Minorca (Lilford, Braun in Lataste Coll., Ferrer), I. Dragoneras, near Majorca (Bedriaga), 

 I. la Guardia, near Majorca (Bosca). The specimens from Is. del Ayre and la Guardia 

 are black or blackish, and represent the L. lilfordi, sensu stricto. 



Head (PI. XXVI. figs. 7a, lb) once and a half to once and two-thirds as long as 

 broad, moderately depressed, its depth in the tympanic region equalling the distance 

 between the anterior border or the centre of the eye and the anterior border of the 

 tympanum ; snout usually decidedly pointed. Neck as broad as or broader than the 

 head. Body moderately depressed. Hind limb reaching the shoulder, the collar, 

 or a little beyond the latter in males, the axil or the shoulder in females; foot once to 

 once and one-third the length of the head. Tail once and a half to once and four- 

 fifths the length of head and body, rounded in section, cyclotetragonal at the base. 



1 A.s happens in the males of our Sand-Lizard, Lacerla agilh. 



