1896.] A. Alcock & F. Fhm — Afghan- Bahich Reptilia. 55.S 



beginning to blow. Usually they begin early in April, and the inhabi- 

 tants much dread their terrific heat, which they say shrivels everything 

 up, and compels them to remain shut up in their tamarisk houses all 

 day. Our slight experience of them before they had reached their full 

 strength quite bore out these statements, and made us very thankful to 

 get out of the country and back to civilisation. The 307 miles march 

 from Robat I back to Quetta (done in 14 J days including two days' 

 halts) was very trying indeed. 



I take this opportunity of thanking Captain McMahon, C.I.B., 

 British Commissioner, Captain H. F. Walters, 24th Baluchistan Regi- 

 ment, Mr. Gr. P. Tate, Survey of India, Lieutenant F. C. Webb- Ware, 

 7th Bombay Lancers, Mr. Nicol Cumming, Head Clerk, Mir Shamshah, 

 Faqir Ahmed, and others with the Mission for their enthusiastic help in 

 collecting.] 



2. List of the Species Collected. 



In this list the principal reference in every case is intended to be to 

 Mr. Boulenger's Standard Volumes — the British Museum Catalogue of 

 Reptiles, and the Reptilia and Amphibia of the Fauna of British India 

 Series. References are also given to citations of later date than the 

 date of publication of those volumes, and to species figured in Mr. 

 W. T. Blanford's Zoology of Eastern Persia, although the latter, of course, 

 are to be found in Mr. Boulenger's synonymies. 



LACEHTILIA. 



Family Geckonidse. 



1. Teratoscincus scincus (Schleg.) 



Teratoscincus scincus, Boulenger, Brit. Mus. Cat. Lizards, I. 12 : Ann. Mag. Nat. 

 Hist, (v) XIX. 1887, p. 384 : Trans. Linn. Soc. Zool. (ii) V. 1889, p. 94, pL viii. ' 

 fig. 1 : P. Z. S. 1891, p. 629. 



Teratoscincus keyserlingii, Strauch, Mem. Ac. Sci. Petersb. XXXV. 1887, Art. 2, 

 p. 68 : Boettger, Zool. Jahrbach., Syst. etc., IIL 1888, p. 878. 



[Two specimens. One was caught by Captain McMahon, at 2-30 

 A.M. on a moonlight night, in the desert between Drana Koh and Zeh, 

 elevation 3000 feet. It ran in spurts from bush to bush and was diffi- 

 cult to catch. It was marked with ten broad black cross-bauds on 

 the back and upper surface of the tail, with some reddish- brown scales 

 between : abdomen and throat white : head marked above with black 

 and dark brown. Skin very delicate and frngile — like human skin to 

 the touch. 



The other was caught near Robat I, on the sand by a stream. 



The natives regard this species as poisonous.] 

 J. II. 71 



