13 4 F. Stoliezka — On Indian Lizards. [No. 2, 



through Central India northwards as far as Eurki and Iiardwar, and east- 

 wards as far as Calcutta, hut it is very rare here. I have only within the 

 last year ohtained two specimens on the western side of the Hughli river 

 at Howrah, hut do not know of any record of the species eastward of the 

 Hughli, that is even in Calcutta itself. 



A third species which I have to notice is Linne's B. punctata from 

 South India and the Dakhin (Dekhan). The structure and colour of 

 this closely corresponds with that of albopunctata from Bengal, but the 

 difference in size is very great, the former often attaining 12 inches. The 

 number of scales round the body is usually 24, and those between fore and 

 hind limb 78 — 84. Colour, brown above and at the sides, pale below, all 

 scales with blackish, and the anterior half of sides with white, spots. 



At Matheran near Bombay (about 2,500 feet on the trappean plateau) I 

 have met with a peculiar form, which might be looked upon as a hybrid or a 

 transitional form, between B. alio •punctata and B. Hardwickii. The form of 

 the body, its structure, proportions of the limbs and the posteriorly narrowed 

 vertical shield best agrees with punctata, as described. The largest specimen 

 measures only 7-g- inches, the body being 3J inches. Of eight specimens examined, 

 all have 26 longitudinal rows of scales, a number tolerably common in 

 Hardwickii, but rarely to be met with in typical punctata. There are 74 — 80 

 transverse rows of scales between the limbs, agreeing with punctata. The co- 

 louration is exactly the same as in a pale B. Hardwickii : above and at the sides 

 more or less dark brown, a pale brown or yellowish band on each side from the 

 snout to the base of the tail, anterior half of sides of body with white dots ; 

 below whitish ; all scales have blackish spots which sometimes become obsolete 

 on the lower side. It is really difficult to decide to which species this particular 

 form, which I have just noticed, should be referred. The 'structure and form 

 of the body agrees best with punctata, while the colouration is that of 

 Hardwickii, and the size is intermediate between both. To consider the 

 Matheran form as an independent species, seems to me quite unnatural ; it is 

 certainly nothing else than a local variety, and most probably the same which 

 Jerdon notices as B. Hardwickii from the Carnatic, ' 9 inches' long (J. A. S. 

 B., xxii, p. 478). The question to be answered is : do we know the young 

 punctata in all its progressive stages up to the adult ? I got the adult from 

 Puna, and with it one younger specimen which has the general colouration 

 of Hardwickii, the body is 2"6 inches, greater than in any known Hardwickii 

 from the N. West or Central Provinces,- tail reproduced, short, 24 longitudi- 

 nal rows round the body, and 80 transverse rows of scales between the 

 limbs. If we have to look upon this specimen as the young of punctata, what 

 I do not doubt it really is, and take into consideration what I said about true 

 Hardwickii and the Matheran form, the only reasonable conclusion we can 

 draw is, that punctata and Hardwickii are actually only one species which 



