192 W. T. Blanford— On the Eeptilia and [No. 3, 



Hob. — Plains of Eastern Turkestan. 



The distribution of the scales on the back is somewhat as in S. Catcca- 

 sicus, but that appears to be a stouter form with far more enlarged scales on 

 the sides, larger tail scales, and a patch of thickened scales in the middle of 

 the abdomen which is wanting in the form now described. The present 

 species may be near S. Aralensis (Agama Aralensis, Licht. in Eversmann's 

 ' Eeise nach Buchara', p. 144), the only other steppe form known, but that 

 species is described as being very differently coloured, as having the toes 

 fringed, and the dorsal scales strongly keeled and pointed. 



5. Phrynocephalits Theobaldi. 



P. Tlieobaldi, Blyth, J. A. S. B., 1863, XXXII, p. 90. 



P. caudivolvulus, Guiltier, Rept. Brit. Ind. p. 161, nee Pallas. 



P. Stoliczkai, Steindachner, Novara-Expedition, Reptilien, p. 23, PI. I, Kg. 6, 7. 



P. caudivolvulus and P. Forsythi, Anderson, P. Z. S., 1872, pp. 387, 390. 



Sab. Ladak ; Kuenluen ; Eastern Turkestan ; Sarikol. 



After going through the various descriptions of Lacerta caudiuolvula 

 by Pallas, Eversmann, and Eichwald, and comparing their figures with the 

 Tibetan species, I am satisfied that the form originally described by Pallas 

 is different, and that it is probably one of the smooth species like P. macula- 

 tus and P. axillaris, both of which have a habit of coiling their tails, whilst 

 P. Theobaldi has never been observed to do so. The markings on the tail 

 in all Phrynocephali are very constant and those of the true P. caudivolvulus 

 are different from those of P. Theobaldi. It is impossible to enter at length 

 into this subject here, but in the full account of the species I shall give my 

 reasons in full for changing the name.* 



Although the form called by Dr. Anderson P. Forsythi appears distinct 

 at first and is, as a rule, differently coloured on the body, I can find no con- 

 stant distinction from P. Theobaldi. 



6. P. AXILLARIS, Sp. nOV. 



P. major, Icevis, cauda elongata, pede anteriore in adulto vix femur 

 attingente, sgruamis omnibus laevibus, caudae apicem versus exceptis ; supra 

 griseus, macula rubra utrinqiie post axillam not at us, me mbr is caudaqiie fas- 

 ciis fuscis transversis signatis, hac ad medium fasco-annulatd, nunq_uam ad 

 apicem nigra, subtus albidus. Long, tola poll. 5 — 6, caudes f totius longi* 

 tudinis subceguante. 



* I should, however, mention that I think there is reason to doubt whether the 

 specimens assigned to P. caudivolvulus in the Berlin Museum are rightly named. It 

 was upon Dr. Peters's comparison of Tibetan specimens with the former that Dr. Giin- 

 ther based his identification. At all events, the characters of a specimen from the 

 Berlin Museum described by Dumeril and Bibron differ from the original description 

 given by Pallas. 



