68 

 PART IV. 



SKETCH OF THE LITERATURE 



BEiEING ON THE 



REPTILIAN AND B ATRAC HI AN FAUNA OF ARABIA. 



As a supplement to these lists of Eeptiles, I have bow to add a 

 complebe list of all the species of Eeptilia and Batrachia known 

 to occur in Arabia, and as an introduction to it I give a short 

 sketch of the literature of the subject. 



The Danish Expedition equipped by Frederick V. of Denmark 

 for the scientific exploration of Egypt, Arabia, and Syria, sailed 

 from Europe in January 1761. When it had accomplished its 

 work in Egypt, the members of the Expedition went to Suez, and 

 after Niebuhr had visited Mount Sinai they sailed on the 21st 

 July, 1762, for Jiddah, wlience they proceeded overland to 

 Mocha. Here Van Haven, the philologist, died ; and two 

 months afterwards Peter Forskll, the naturalist, succumbed to 

 the pligue, at Jerim, on the 11th July, 1763. Shortly after 

 this, Niebuhr left Arabia, but he did not return to Copenhagen 

 until November, 1767, when he at once began to prepare for 

 publication the results achieved by the Expedition, and to arrange, 

 for the same purpose, the materials that his friend ForskSi had 

 brought together. This posthumous work of ForskSl's, entitled 

 ' Desoriptiones Animalium, &c.,' appeared in 1775. It is our 

 first introduction to the fauna of Arabia. 



In it he mentions the occurrence in Loheia, north of Hodeida, 

 of a land-tortoise, Testudo terrestris, and the local name of which 

 is Buzi or Sukar. It is useless attempting to identify this 

 animal, but it may possibly bo T. leithii, Giinther, which is found 

 in the desert country between Ismailia and El Arisch ; while, 

 on the other hand, it may prove to be Testudo elegans, Schoepff, 

 which has been recorded from Muscat. 



Four species of Lizards are described, viz. : — Lacerta nilotica, 

 Ilasselquist & Linnaeus, —Varanus niloticus, Hasselq. & Linn. ; 

 Lacerta eegyptia, Hasselquist & Linnseus, = Uromastix agyptius, 

 H. & L. ; Lacerta ocellata, ForskS,!, =Chalcides {Qongylus) ocel- 

 latus, Forsk. ; and Lacerta gecko, H. & L., =Ptyodactylus'hassel- 



